Strange Colors
by Raindrops On My Windshield
Summary: Annie has just moved to Forks, Washington. She doesn't know anyone, and she misses her home. One day she meets a girl named Bella in the forest behind her house, and her life is forever changed. And that's before she finds out that Bella's a vampire. Twilight fanfic Bella/OC FEMSLASH
1. Welcome To Forks

Chapter 1: Welcome to Forks

Trees. So many trees. I spy with my little eye, something that is green. Yup, it's a tree. I should write a song about trees while I'm here. Or build a whole civilization up in the trees, like in that movie, what's it called again? My god this is boring. I still don't understand why we're moving. More trees. I don't want to leave Montreal. I have friends, I have a life, I have a future. And why are we moving to, of all places, Forks, Washington? Another tree. I don't see what this place has to offer that Montreal doesn't. Well… except trees.

"You know, I'm going to be the substitute teacher for French class," my mother calls from the front seat of our Subaru Forester. "I already speak French mom, why would I need to take a class?" I call back. Why would I take a class? I don't have the patience to deal with people's atrocious accents, or questions like 'Do we learn how to French kiss in this class?'. Ugh, people are such perverts. "Look Annie, I know this isn't what you wanted, but this could be a good thing. I get that this is very sudden, but this is important to me. Promise me you'll at least try to make it work?" No kidding it was sudden. We only found out about this job offer three weeks ago. Now look at us. Still, we might be here for a while, so I guess I'll have to get used to it. "Yeah, I'll give it a try." My mother smiles at me through the rear view mirror. At least somebody is happy.

Twenty minutes and 100,000 trees later, we finally get to our new house, which I'm seeing for the first time. It's a white house, two storeys, nothing special. At least it isn't pink. "Want to go look inside?" I nod my head, and my mother tosses me a set of keys. I walk up to the house, my new house, and climb the stairs. I unlock the door, open it, and step inside. Again, it's rather ordinary, except for one thing: there's no furniture. Walls with no pictures or paintings, empty rooms with nowhere to sit but the floor… It doesn't feel very homey, but I guess that can be fixed. I go back outside to the car, where my mother has started to take our bags out from the trunk. "Where's the moving van?" I plan on sleeping in my bed, not on the floor, so I'm hoping the van gets here before dark, although I probably won't be sleeping either way. I have trouble sleeping in a place I've never been before. Needless to say, I hate hotels. "It'll be here in about 20 minutes." Great, what am I supposed to do for 20 minutes? Well, I guess I could go explore—

"Hello there!" Huh? Oh, right, people. I turn around and come face to face with a family of four. Husband, wife, and two little girls, all blonde. "Uh, hi there… sorry, you guys caught me by surprise." The man and woman laugh, the little girls are hiding behind them, poking their heads out curiously. The man puts out his hand. "I'm Michael Rykes, and this is my wife Cindy, and our daughters Lucy and Lily." I shake his hand, which is nearly twice the size of mine. This guy is huge… I bet he used to play football. "Nice to meet you. I'm Annie Stone, and this is my mother Lisa," I point to my mother, who still hasn't noticed that we have company. Typical. I take a deep breath and, having regained my usual composure, proceed to shake Cindy's outstretched hand. I turn around to fetch my mother, only to find her walking towards the house, carrying two suitcases, still completely oblivious. "Hold up mom, we have company," I called. That caught my mother's attention, and she dropped the suitcases instantly, rushing over to introduce herself. "Well hello there! I'm so sorry, this whole moving business is driving me crazy. I'm Lisa Platwurst," she shakes Michael and Cindy's hands, a huge, awkward smile plastered to her face. Oh boy. "Hi Lisa, I'm Michael, and this is my wife Cindy and these are our daughters Lily and Lucy. We just wanted to introduce ourselves, and welcome you to Forks. It's not every day that someone moves here-" No kidding. "and we just wanted to make sure you were settled." Well, at least we have friendly neighbours, I guess…

The moving truck pulls into the driveway, and the moving guys climb out from the truck to get started. My mother rushes over, forgetting to say goodbye to our new neighbours. Makes for a great first impression. "Thank you Michael, Cindy. We really do appreciate it. And thank you too, girls," Lucy and Lily duck behind their parents again, but give me shy smiles, which I take as a compliment. At least somebody likes me. "Now for the fun part, moving furniture," I say, earning a chuckle from Cindy and a big, booming laugh from Michael. "It's great to meet you Annie, it really is. Would you like to come over for dinner this week? How about Wednesday?" Cindy asks, giving me a hopeful look. Man, she is good at guilt tripping people. "We would be delighted to, Cindy. Thank you so much." Cindy hops excitedly, clapping her hands like a cartoon character. "Great! Oh, here's our number, for future reference. See you Wednesday!" I wave goodbye to the Rykes family, waiting until they've skipped down the road. Wait, she didn't give me their address. Oh well, I'll just call them to ask for it later. Then I turn around to help bring everything into the house.

Two hours later, everything was set up, except for the piles of cardboard boxes of things like picture frames and mugs which we planned on opening only when absolutely necessary. We paid the movers, and they left, driving as fast as they could to get away from my psychotic mother, who had tortured them beyond sanity. Yeah, try living with her.

We sat at the dinner table and ate our frozen dinners, since we were both too lazy to cook. "Oh, Michael and Cindy have invited us to dinner on Wednesday, and I said we would go," I say, trying to start up a conversation. "Who?" my mother looks at me as if I just spoke to her in Russian. I roll my eyes, receiving a glare in response. "Cindy and Michael Rykes? The people we met this afternoon?" My mother continues to stare at me. "Whatever, you'll recognize them at dinner. Don't forget, okay?" She gives me a curt nod, focused on inhaling her fettuccini.

I go back to my plate, making a mental note to write a note for my mother to remind her about dinner. We go back to eating in silence for a few minutes. That's how it's always been, my mother never shuts up unless she's eating, which should prove to be awkward at dinner on Wednesday. My mother finishes up her meal, licks her plate (lovely, I know), and puts it in the sink.

"You excited for tomorrow?" Ah, school. Knew that would come up sometime. "Yeah, I guess." My mother rolls her eyes playfully, unimpressed with my answer. "Can you please take French? You know I'm going to be the substitute teacher for that class, and I just want to be able to keep an eye on you from time to time. Please?" My mother turns to face me and gives me her puppy dog look, wobbly lip and everything. I hate it when she does that. I hate that it always works even more. I sigh, "Okay," and go back to my meal. She smiles, pleased with her victory. "Don't be nervous, sweetie. I'm going to want to hear all about it tomorrow, okay?" I roll my eyes, picking up my plate and dumping my leftovers in the trash. All this talk about school has me losing my appetite. "Fine."

I feel something vibrate in the front pocket of my jeans. My phone. Wait, why is my phone on vibrate? Whatever. I pull out my phone. 3 missed phone calls, all from Maddie, my best friend. Maddie is in Montreal, and I'm not. Whoa, I forgot about that. My phone starts vibrating again. Incoming call from Maddie.

I walk out of the dining room and into the living room, then answer it. I nearly jumped when Maddie started screaming at me, "ANNIEEEE! Where have you been? I've called you like fifty times!" I roll my eyes and bring the phone closer to my ear. "Jesus Maddie, keep that up and I'll be deaf by twenty-five!" Then there's a long, uncomfortable silence. "I miss you," she says, almost in a whisper, and sniffles. "Aww come on Maddie, don't go soft on me now," I say, while fighting back a few tears of my own. Another long silence. "I'm sorry, it's just that neither of us is good at the whole long distance thing, and you're so far away, and soccer is starting up soon, so I'll be really busy, and—" "Whoa, slow down Maddie. I know, and I probably won't be around much either, since I've got some catching up to do around here, but we'll make it work, okay?" Another silence. "You know I can't hear you nodding, right?" Maddie scoffs. "Shut up."

I hear a loud bang come from the kitchen, followed by my mother shouting obscenities at inanimate objects. "Hey Maddie, I have to go now, okay?" I hear another sniffle, and then a sigh. "Okay. Talk to you soon, right?" I sigh. "Right. Goodnight." Then I hang up, put my phone in my pocket and go back to the kitchen.

My mother is picking up the pots and pans she dropped, a sheepish look on her face. I roll my eyes, and look at the clock. 11:50 p.m. Yikes. I guess I should at least try to get some sleep, to prepare myself for the very long day ahead. "Hey mom, I'm going to bed. Goodnight," I start walking to the stairs. "Goodnight, sweetie!" she calls.

I walk up the stairs and into my new room. Well, my sort of new room, since everything in it is from my room back in Montreal. I change into my pyjamas and climb into bed, staring up at the unfamiliar ceiling. I feel nervous. I like people, I do, it's just that in a small town like Forks, word spreads fast. I can't afford to make a fool of myself tomorrow. What if people don't like me? Or what if I'm just too different, me being a city kid? 12:10. Still not tired, I get up to look outside my window, since I have nothing better to do. Trees. Did I really expect to find anything else?

Suddenly something between the trees shifts. I see something… an eye? Is that a person? The mysterious creature shifts again, then everything goes quiet. I open the window and poke my head out. "Hey! Who's there?" Silence. "Hello?" A squirrel jumps from a tree to the ground. Great, I've only been here a few hours and I'm already hallucinating. I go back to bed and stare at the ceiling a while longer. Eventually I feel fatigue wash over me, and I fall asleep.


	2. First Day of School

Chapter 2: First Day Of School

The next morning, I wake up to the sound of pots and pans crashing. I look over at the clock. 6:30 a.m. I guess I should be getting up anyway. I sit up, stretch my arms above my head and groan. I have to start at a new school today. Wonderful. I get up, get dressed and head downstairs. My mother is in the kitchen, trying her best to make breakfast without burning down the house. If only I could say the same for the food. My mother, who still hasn't noticed me, puts the burnt bacon and eggs on a plate.

"Annie! Wake up, breakfast is ready!" I roll my eyes at her obliviousness and sit at the table. "I'm right behind you, mom," I say, making my mother jump back in surprise. Unfortunately, she didn't drop the food, so I still have to eat it. "Here's breakfast, love. Eat up. You can't show up to your first day on an empty stomach." She sets the plate down in front of me, kisses me on the forehead and goes back into the kitchen to wash the pan she used to make breakfast. I eat breakfast quickly, not wanting to prolong my suffering. While I'm eating, my mother gets ready for work, then waits for me to finish my meal, since she is driving me to school.

"Ready to go?" My mother grabs her bag, waiting by the front door expectantly. I stand up, put my plate away, grab my school bag and head for the door. We get in the car, and head for school. About ten minutes later we pull into the parking lot. My mother looks worried, not for herself, but for me. "Home of the Spartans, huh? More like home of the wimps. I mean look at these kids, they're way too scrawny to be spartans." I roll my eyes at my mother's failed attempt at being funny, but I appreciate the sentiment. She is just trying to keep me relaxed, after all. I take a deep breath, and close my eyes. Everything is going to be okay. You like people, people like you, what's there be worried about? Rejection, bullying, death by isolation— whoa, stop it me. Another deep breath, and I step out of the car.

My mother waits until I'm in the building before getting out of the car, so people don't know that my mother is a teacher here. I mean everyone will find out eventually, but I really don't need everyone to know that on my first day. I walk through the front door, and all conversation going on when I came in stops abruptly. I guess the cat's out of the bag. Then they all start furiously whispering to each other. What are they saying? Do I look weird? Is there something in my teeth? The students continue to stare at me while talking to each other, and I decide to ignore them for now.

I go to the office to pick up my schedule. I step up to the front desk. "Hi, I'm Annie Stone, I just transferred here. I'm here to pick up my schedule, where do I go to get it?" The receptionist, a stern African-American woman with a permanent scowl on her face, looks up at me, then turns back to her computer. Minutes go by. Is she getting it? Did she hear what I said? Is she ignoring me? The door to the office opens, and a student walks in, steps up to the front desk and starts chatting up the receptionist, who greets her with a smile. Unbelievable. They chat for a minute, then the girl comes and sits down in the chair next to me. This girl has shoulder length brown hair, green eyes and a killer smile, and she seems very nice.

The girl turns to me. "Um.. hi, are you the new girl?" She looks at me intently. "Yeah that's me. Hi, I'm Annie Stone," I extend my hand, which she eagerly accepts. "I'm Vivian Croft, but everyone calls me Viv. Wow, I'm the first person to talk to the infamous new girl," she says, putting air quotes around the word infamous. "What do you mean?" I ask, nervous about what she might say. Why am I famous? Did I do something wrong? Do people not like me already? She giggles, "Oh nothing. It's just that since we found out that someone was transferring here, that's all anyone's been talking about." Wow, I guess word really does travel fast around here.

"So you heard I was coming?" She nods. "So what have you heard about me?" Please tell me they don't know that my mother is teaching here. She giggles again. "We haven't heard anything about you, actually. We kind of made up this game where we all came up with our own guess, and whoever's guess is closest wins twenty bucks," she says, looking at me rather guiltily. I laughed, which surprised both Vivian and myself. "Wow, I guess not too many people transfer here, huh?" Vivian shakes her head, still embarrassed about the game. "So what was your guess?"

Vivian looks up at me with wide eyes. "Oh god no, its really embarrassing, and besides, I totally got it wrong…" she stares down at the floor. Now I have to know. "Aww come on Viv, please?" she looks up at me again, contemplating whether or not she should tell me. I give her an encouraging smile. She sighs. "Okay, I'll tell you, but you can't get offended, since I hadn't even met you yet, okay?" I nod my head. She takes a deep breath. " So, um… I guessed that you were from the south, like Texas, or South Carolina, I don't know. I bet that your favorite band is Metallica, and that you would be a crazy Bible thumper, and that you would have three Pit Bulls at home…" she looks up at me, expecting me to be angry. I just give her an incredulous look, then burst out laughing. I didn't know what to expect, but it wasn't that, that's for sure. I laugh hysterically for a good minute while Vivian just stares at me in disbelief. I was about to tell her my thoughts on her guess when the receptionist called me over to the front desk.

"Here's your schedule," she says, handing it to me without even making eye contact. I think she likes me. Vivian appears next to me. "Mind if I take a look?" I shake my head and hand her the sheet, and observe her as she studies it. She has a huge smile on her face, although I don't know why. I'm not exactly taking very interesting classes. "What is it? Why are you smiling like that?" She looks up at me, still grinning like a madwoman. "We have all of our classes together!" she shouts. Oh, that's cool. Wait, WHAT?

"Whoa, you mean ALL of our classes?" She hops around excitedly, nodding her head with enthusiasm. Well, at least I have one friend in all of my classes. "That's one hell of a coincidence, Viv." She beams at me, "This is going to be awesome!" she screams, so loud that even the receptionist acknowledges my presence long enough to tell me to shut Vivian up. "Hey Viv, want to head to class?" She gives the receptionist an apologetic look, then giggles. "Sure, let's go."

We grab our bags and leave the office, heading off to our first class. Biology. I like the sciences, but I'm not very good at it, which makes for terrible grades. Oh well, at least I have fun. As we walk down the hallway, people continue to stare at me. It's actually starting to bother me now. You can come closer, I don't bite. Whatever, they aren't worth my time anyways. We walk into biology class and I sit next to Vivian, since she's the only person I know. She seems perfectly fine with it, so I'm sure it's no big deal.

Class begins, and the teacher decides to parade me in front of the whole class, introducing me to the students. Vivian sits at our table, covering her mouth with her hand in an attempt to keep herself from laughing at my obvious discomfort. That little shit. After my introduction I return to my seat, ignoring the thirty or so pairs of eyes staring at me like I'm an alien or something.

Vivian whispers to me, "Hey, can I call you Thumper?" I turn to face her, very confused about what she just asked me. "What? Why?" Vivian giggles, "Oh, you know, because I thought you would be a Bible thumper? Get it?" I must have made a face, because one look at me and Vivian was laughing to the point of tears. "No Viv, no you cannot." Vivian gives me a mock pout. "Aww you're no fun." I roll my eyes at her antics, and we face the front, pretending to listen to the teacher while goofing off.

Most of my classes go the same way. The teacher makes me stand up in front of the class and introduces me. Then I go sit with Vivian and we goof off the whole time. Vivian invites me to have lunch with her and her friends, which I eagerly accept. Vivian and I walk to the table she normally sits at, and introduces me to her friends: a boy with short, ginger hair, a girl with blonde hair and a Hispanic girl with a birthmark on her left cheek. "Annie, these are my friends Tyler, Gabriella and Maria. Guys, this is Annie, the new girl." They all stare at me, without speaking.

The Hispanic girl, Maria, is the first to recover. "Hi, it's nice to meet you. I'm Maria," she shakes my hand. "It's great to finally meet you. You're all anyone has been talking about for weeks." Huh, apparently they knew I was coming before I did. "Hi Maria, I'm Annie. Yeah, Viv told me all about the game you guys came up with," Maria's eyes went wide, clearly embarrassed. Then the blonde girl, Gabriella, stands up, and I extend my hand for her to shake. She ignores my hand and wraps me into an unexpected hug. Whoa, I need my personal space, woman.

"Hi I'm Gabriella. Call me Gabby, okay? Oooh I want to see how close my guess was, want to hear it?" I nod my head. "Okay, so I thought you would be from somewhere really boring, like Idaho. I expected you to be one of those people who only wear black, and wear way too much eyeliner. You're in a death metal band, and you speak six languages." She gives me a goofy smile, clearly pleased with herself. "So, how close was I?"

I pretend to think about it. "Not very close. I'm from Canada, I'm not a goth, I hate makeup and I only speak two languages. I used to be in a band, but we were not a death metal band." Gabby smiles, rolls her eyes and sits back down. Tyler just continues to stare, and it's starting to freak me out. Viv nudges him with her elbow. "Ty, snap out of it, you're freaking her out!" Then he jumps up, and it's as if someone flipped a switch. He calmly walks over to me, shakes my hand and introduces himself. "Hey, sorry, I'm Tyler, you can call me Ty. It's good to meet you," he gives me a sheepish look, then sits back down. I finally sit down at the table. "So tell us about yourself, Annie." Viv looks at me curiously. "Okay… well I'm 18 years old, I'm from Montreal and I just moved here with my mother." Viv gives me a look, underwhelmed with my answer, but moves on. "I like Charlie's old house. I've only been there a few times, but it's nice. He moved in with Sue, right?" Ty asks, and everyone nods. Wait, what? Who's Charlie?

As if reading my thoughts, Viv turns to me, "Charlie used to live in the house you live in. He's the police chief around here. He's a really nice guy." Oh, the police chief? Damn, I better check the house for secret video cameras when I get home. Huh, home. It still sounds weird to say that.

We talk about things like classes, gossip and just general stuff about ourselves. The bell rings, and we head off to class. The rest of the day is about the same, complete with crazy stares. The final bell rings, and everyone heads out. Viv chases me down, "Whoa, slow down Thumper!" I roll my eyes at the nickname, but turn to face her anyway. "A couple of us are going to Port Angeles for few hours, want to come?" She looks at me hopefully, but I still manage to resist. Today has been a bit overwhelming for me, and I honestly just want to lie around for a few hours. "Sorry Viv, I can't come today. Rain check?" Viv frowns, but smiles again when I promise to come next time. "Yeah, sounds good. See you tomorrow, Thumper!" I roll my eyes again, and turn to head home. "See you later Viv."

My mother sits in the car, waiting for me. I climb in, she pulls out of the parking lot and we head home. "I have a staff meeting tonight, so I'm dropping you off and heading right back. I should be home around nine, okay love?" I nod my head. At least I can finally get some alone time.

Five minutes later we pull up to the driveway. I open the car door and climb out. My mother waves to me before pulling out to go to her meeting. I watch her drive away, then walk inside. I go upstairs to my room, drop my bag on the floor and capsize on my bed. I can hear birds in the forest, their chirps soothing me.

The more I listen, the more I want to go outside. Eventually I get up, go downstairs and walk out the front door. I really feel like exploring today. I walk around to the back of the house, and step into the forest. Might as well check it out, right?


	3. Beautiful Stranger

Chapter 3: Beautiful Stranger

 **Disclaimer: forgot to put this up earlier… anyway I don't own Twilight… so yeah…**

I walk through the forest, enjoying the sounds of the birds chirping, enjoying the smell of the trees, enjoying everything. I've always loved the calmness of the forest. I stop to sit under a big oak tree, my hands in my lap and my legs crossed. I close my eyes and just listen to forest. It's almost as if it was speaking to me in its own language, telling me stories from a long time ago, as if the trees possessed a knowledge far greater than any living person, and they were trying to share their knowledge with me.

I hear a twig snap, and open my eyes. I look around, but I don't see anything unusual. I close my eyes again, laughing at myself for being so paranoid. Minutes go by, and another twig snaps. I open my eyes again, and again, no one is there. Why am I so jumpy today?

"Hello." Whoa, WHAT. I jump up, looking for person who just spoke to me, but I still don't see anybody. "Um… hello?" No response. Suddenly a strange smell fills my nostrils. Whoa, that smells amazing. What is that? That's the most amazing smell I've ever experienced. "Hi," I turn around, and come face to face with the stranger. My god… she's beautiful. Long, flowing brunette hair, symmetrical features… wait, are her eyes gold? Is she wearing color contacts?

"Um… uh… hi," her beauty, having caught me by surprise, left me stunned. She gives me a shy smile. "I'm sorry for sneaking up on you like that, but I didn't want to scare you off…" she looks at the ground, staring intently at a pebble. She's so… adorable. "I'm Bella," she says, having looked up from the ground. Wow, she's incredible. She can't be real, there's just no way. Oh, wait, she's speaking to me. Say something, idiot! "Hey… Bella's a nice name," I say, since I have apparently forgotten my own name.

She smiles, "Thanks. So what's your name?" I continue to stare at her in stunned silence. She raises her eyebrow at me expectantly. Oh, right. "I-I'm Annie," I finally manage to say. She laughs. "Annie… I like it. So Annie, what's your last name?" She sure has a lot of questions. "Stone. My name is Annie Stone." Whoa, I sound like James Bond. Bond, James Bond. Focus, Annie!

I refocus on Bella. She's looking at me in disbelief. "You just made that up, didn't you?" Wait, what? Why would she think that? Stranger danger, idiot. Oh, that makes sense. I laugh, "Oh, no no, that's actually my name. Here," I pull out my driver's licence and hand it to her. When she goes to grab it, our fingers touch, only slightly. Holy crap, her hand is freezing cold! And I thought I had cold hands. She looks at the licence, satisfied that my name is in fact Annie Stone. She hands it back to me. "I like the picture," she says. I look down at the picture. Please, my hair looks like a rat's nest, I have bags under my eyes and my eyes are so wide they look like the eyes of a serial killer.

"Thanks… so, Bella, why are you wearing color contacts?" She looks at me in confusion. "What contacts?" Does she not realize that she's wearing contacts? "Um yeah, your eyes are gold Bella." Her eyes go wide and she nods, as if remembering something obvious that she forgot. "Oh, um, right… contacts… I-I just… like gold?" Sounds more like a question than an answer. Weird. There's something about her… something familiar. I look at her, searching my mind for why she seems familiar. "Have we met before, Bella?" She gives me a look, as if she were a deer caught in the headlights of my car. "Wha- no, of course not! Why would you ask me that? That's crazy!" She starts waving her arms around to emphasize her words. "Okay, okay… my mistake. What brings you to the woods?"

I walk back over to my spot under the oak tree, confident that Bella was not here to murder or kidnap me. "Oh just hunt— I mean, um…" What was she going to say? Hunting? "Did you just say hunting?" I look her up and down, ignoring the perverted part of my brain appreciating her curves. She was dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, with no weapon of any kind, not even a knife. "I may be from the city, but even I know that you're supposed to hunt with a weapon."

I give her a knowing grin, but she isn't smiling anymore. She's staring at her hands. She looks… angry at them, as if they had done something without her permission. She didn't respond for a while. Was it something I said? Have I offended her? "Bella? You okay?" She looks up, nods half-heartedly, and comes and sits down next to me. Maybe we should talk about something else. "So Bella, what's your last name?" She makes eye contact for the first time in while, looking incredibly relieved. She smiles, "I see what you did there. It's Sw- Cullen." What was that about? "You just made that up, didn't you?" I guess the tables have turned.

She must have realized that too, because she bursts into laughter. Her laugh is like music to my ears, and once she stops laughing I feel a need to make her laugh again. "Very funny, but no." She chuckles again. "Can you prove it?" She looks at me sheepishly. "Er… no," I raise my eyebrow at her. "Well excuse me for not having my I.D. on me all the time, geez…" she says, trying to hide the smile on her face.

That's when I notice that the sky is much darker than it was when I came out here. I look at my watch. 9 p.m. Whoa, time really does fly when you're having fun. My mom should be home any minute, but she hasn't called, so she must not be back yet. Bella notices me checking the time. "Do you have to go?" I look up, and the disappointment in her eyes hurts so much I can't bear to look her in the eye, no matter how intriguing her eyes are.

"Yeah, it's getting late, and I have school tomorrow," I say, although I'd much rather stay here with Bella than go to school. Not that I don't like my new friends, but I just feel so comfortable with Bella, I feel that I can just be myself around her. I've only known her for a few minutes, but it almost feels as though I've known Bella my whole life.

"Will I ever see you again, Bella?" Her face becomes unreadable as she stares at me thoughtfully. What is she thinking? Does she not want to see me again? "I hope so, Annie. I hope so. I can't make any promises, though. I had a great time, thank you." She flashes me a huge smile, then stands up, dusts herself off, and walks away. "Goodbye Bella," I call after her. "Goodbye miss Stone," she calls back, flashing me one more smile before disappearing between the trees. Goodbye, beautiful stranger.

I sit under the oak tree for a few minutes, going over the encounter in my mind. Bella just seemed so… sad. Beautiful, graceful, and curious, but sad nonetheless. Eventually I stand up, since my butt is starting to get cold from sitting on the ground for too long. I start walking back home. It isn't far from here, a mile at most. There is still this feeling I can't shake. Something about her seems so familiar… oh well, maybe it will come to me on its own. Until then, I will count the minutes until I meet the beautiful, mysterious creature that is Bella Cullen once again.

Fifteen minutes later I open the front to the house. The car isn't in the driveway, so my mother isn't home yet. I start heading upstairs when I hear a loud growl. What the hell is that? I hear it again, and then I realize that it's my stomach. Oh, food… right. I go to the kitchen and make myself a sandwich, and sit at the table to eat it. Well, I suppose inhaling the food would be much more accurate, but whatever. After eating and cleaning up after myself, I check my phone. Three messages and two missed calls, all from Maddie. Oops.

I send Maddie a text. **Hey Maddie! Sorry, been super busy… you around?** I wait for her to text me back, but she doesn't. Weird, she's usually superglued to her phone. Oh shit, it's Monday. Maddie has soccer on Mondays. Damn it. I sigh, and put my phone back on my pocket. Oh damn… I've got a lot of homework to do. Might as well, since I have nothing better to do. I pick up my bag and dump its contents onto the table. This might take a while.

Half an hour later, I'm finishing up the last of my homework. I would have finished sooner, but I just can't stop thinking about Bella. Just the thought of her smile gives me butterflies. I've never felt something more intense in my life. Just then my phone rings. I pick it up, thinking Maddie must finally be getting back to me. "Hey Maddie, how was soccer practice?" I hear a chuckle from the end. Nope, definitely not Maddie.

"Sweetie, it's mom. The meeting just finished, so I should be back in about twenty minutes. Everything okay?" I roll my eyes. As if I'm the one who needs to be monitored. "Yeah, everything's fine mom. I'm just finishing up my homework," I say. "Whoa, how much homework did they give you, love?" Whoops, let that slip. "Oh, no it's not that, I only started it like half an hour ago, I just got… distracted… earlier." Smooth Annie, real smooth. My mother, either not noticing or not commenting on my "distraction", moves on. "Okay, well I'll see you soon love." She hangs up the phone. Thank goodness mother is blind as a bat.

I finish the last of my homework, put everything away, and sit on the couch. My mind immediately wanders back to my strange encounter I had with the most mysterious girl I had ever met. Bella Cullen… maybe someone at school knows who she is.

In hindsight I realize that people don't usually come to the forest for a chat, but at the time it just seemed so normal. Also, she looks like she's about my age. Doesn't she go to school? Is she homeschooled maybe?

I hear my mother's car pull into the driveway. She opens the door and steps inside. "Hi sweetie! I'm sorry, the meeting went on for longer than I expected," she says, plopping herself down next to me on the couch and kicking her shoes off. "Why was your meeting so late anyway? What could possible be that important?" My mother rolls her eyes. "I have no idea. It was such a boring meeting! And it was so long! I spent a good twenty minutes staring at the wall while one of the teachers was bitching about one of his students." Well, that's just bizarre. I wonder who the student was. "Who was the student?"

My mother's brow furrows in concentration as she tries to remember the name of the student. "Her name is… Vivian something. Vivian Croft! That's it." I laugh, not very surprised that Viv was the source of the teacher's frustration. Leave it to me to befriend the trouble makers on the first day.

My mother appraises me. "So how was your first day?" Ugh. Do I really have to talk about it? "It was okay," I say, earning an eye roll from my mother. "I don't know… It was alright. I made a few friends, my classes are fine. Nothing out of the ordinary." Except for meeting a strange girl in the forest. Of course there's no way I'm telling my mother that. "Well I'm glad you've made some friends. You should invite them over some time," she says, knowing from experience that I can be less than forthcoming when pushed to speak. Actually, that doesn't sound like such a bad idea, although the house is a bit small for that. I'll consider it, anyway. "Yeah, that sounds good. I'll ask them another time." My mother, pleased with my answer, moves on. "It's getting late, love. You should get some sleep. Tomorrow's still a school day."

As much as I dislike school, I have to agree. School is slightly more bearable when I've slept well. I nod resignedly, standing up to got to bed. "Goodnight mom," I say, and head upstairs. "Goodnight love!" My mother calls back. I go to my room, change into my pyjamas and climb into bed. Once again, I stare up at the ceiling. I suddenly feel the urge to go to my window, so I get up and walk over to it. I unlock the window and slide it up. I look at the forest and wait. What am I waiting for? I don't know. Suddenly something appears in the shadow of a tree. I squint to try and see it better, and suddenly I see it again. The eye. It was the same as the night before, but this time it just stays there, looking back at me. It's a gold eye, that much I can tell. Could it be…

Suddenly the trees shift, and the eye is gone. What the hell? I must really be sleep deprived for this to happen two nights in a row. I close my window, lock it, and crawl back to my bed. I stare at the ceiling again, until I eventually black out after who knows how long.


	4. Street Cred

Chapter 4: Street Cred

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight because I do not own things. Except for my things… because they are mine…**

The first thing I hear when I wake up is my mother's voice. Is she talking to herself again? I hear someone else speaking. Oh, okay. Wait… WHAT? What time is it? I look at the clock. 6 a.m. Who the hell is chatting up my mother at our house at six in the morning? I jump out of bed, get dressed and practically dive down the stairs just to see who it is. I turn to face the living room. My mother is sitting on a chair facing the sofa, which is occupied by two people, a man and a woman, both with blonde hair. Michael and Cindy Rykes? What's going on?

My mother notices me standing just outside the room. "Good morning, Annie. We have visitors," she says, trying her best to hide the obvious annoyance at their intrusion at such an early hour. Yeah, no shit. "Well hello there Cindy, Michael. It's nice to see you again," I say, hoping that I won't have to flat out ask them what they're doing in here at this ungodly hour.

Cindy turns to face me and does her seal clap. "Hi Annie! It's so great to see you! We were just talking about how Lily and Lucy have started taking ballet lessons!" Okay, I don't know what I was expecting, but it certainly wasn't that. Please tell me they didn't come over here just for that, otherwise we'll probably be in need of a restraining order. "That's nice," I say, nodding my head. Smile and nod, smile and nod. "We actually just came here to remind you about dinner tomorrow night, and to give you our address," Michael says, as if reading my thoughts. It still doesn't explain why they chose to do this now, but at least I can go to sleep at night without having to check under my bed for crazy neighbours.

Suddenly I hear a giggle from the dining room. Then another giggle. Wait… is that Lucy and Lily? "Oh, Lucy and Lily are here too," my mother says, giving the Rykes a glare while their backs are turned. "Oh yeah, we brought them along with us! Actually, could you go check on them for me?" Cindy asks, looking at me expectantly. Are you serious? Wow these people are pushy. I'm definitely not looking forward to dinner tomorrow. "Of course," I say, shooting Cindy a fake smile before turning to go to the dining room.

I walk into the dining room. Lucy and Lily are sitting at them table, coloring pictures in a coloring book. They must have brought the book with them, since we don't own any coloring books. Not that we don't like kids, but there aren't usually any in the house, so we don't have much to entertain them with. Of course now I think we might have to get something for Lucy and Lily, in case this becomes a regular occurrence. "Hi Lucy, hi Lily. How are you?" They look at me, giggle, and go back to drawing. Nice to see you too.

I walk back into the living room, where my mother is still pretending to listen to what Cindy is saying. I can't watch this anymore. "Hey mom, don't you have a staff meeting this morning?" Hopefully she'll catch on so we can get the hell away from these people. My mother looks at me questioningly. Then she realizes that I've given us an escape route, and she grins like a madwoman. Well, she is certainly no actress. "That's right! Thank you for reminding me. Oh geez, we should be going right about now or we'll be late," she says.

Michael and Cindy rise up from the sofa, Cindy looking crestfallen. Now I feel guilty for lying, but that woman needs to learn about boundaries. "I guess we should be leaving then… Lily! Lucy! Pack up your stuff, it's time to go." Thank goodness. Michael notices the relieved look on my face and gives me a knowing smile. Clearly, Cindy had this affect on a lot of people. He walks over to me, placing a hand on my shoulders and says, in a hushed tone, "Don't worry, I'll make sure she tones it down for tomorrow night. I can't really explain why, but Cindy really likes you two." He pats my shoulder, says goodbye to my mother and walks out the front door, with Lily and Lucy in tow. Huh, I don't know whether to take that as a compliment or as another sign that I should file for a restraining order.

Cindy stands by the door. "Okay, well I'll see you two tomorrow, I guess…" She looks at me tentatively, as if she we deciding whether or not to do something. I give her a reassuring smile, again hoping that she'll take a hint. She smiles back and, before I realize what she's doing, she wraps me tightly into a hug. Oh, come on. After what seems like an eternity, she finally lets me go. "See you tomorrow night!" She walks out the front door, closing it behind her. What the hell was that? "What the hell was that?" My mother asks. I stare at the door, half expecting Cindy to walk back in at any moment. "I have no idea…"

My mother checks her watch. "Well it's seven now, so we should probably get going anyway. Pack up your stuff and meet back here in five minutes?" I nod my head and walk upstairs to grab my bag. What a weird morning. Hopefully school is more normal. Then again, I'm probably destined to be stared at by the other students. They look at me like I'm an animal they've never seen before, and it's kind of freaky. I'm just a person, if you want to know about me, come say hello! I don't bite. At least it should be easier now that I have a group to hang out with. I open my bedroom door, grab my bag and head back downstairs.

I feel my phone buzz in my pocket. I pull it out from my pocket. It's a text from Maddie. **Hey! I'm sorry, I had soccer practice and I was wiped out afterwards. We have to talk about your first day! Also, I have to fill you in on the school drama here ;).** As much as I'd like to talk, Maddie's timing is terrible. I put my phone back in my pocket and walk to the front door. My mother is waiting for me, tapping her foot impatiently. "Let's go!" She opens the door, tosses me the keys and walks out. I step through the front door and lock it behind me. We get in the car, fasten our seatbelts and pull out of the driveway. Let the frenzy begin…

Fifteen minutes later we've pulled into the parking lot. Once again, my mother gives me a head start before getting out of the car, since I still don't want people to know that my mother teaches here. I will, I swear, but I want people to get to know me before they decide I'm a teacher's pet and nothing more.

I walk through the front doors and, like yesterday, all conversation stops for a moment, and then everyone starts whispering like mad. This is really starting to get on my nerves. I've also noticed that these people are saying rude things about me, too. They just don't think I can hear them. You know what? I think I'm going to try something. I look around at the students, searching for my victim. I decide on my target: an African-American boy, wearing a Spartans football jersey, whispering into another jock's ear.

I notice them looking at my chest area, and the boy whispers into the other jock's ear again, making him laugh. He probably just made some joke about me being flat-chested. He looks like an arrogant jerk, so this should take him by surprise. I walk up to the boy confidently, making sure to make eye contact, despite the fact that his 6'2" broad frame makes me look like a twig, even if I'm 5'11".

He doesn't notice me approach him until we're face to face. "Hi, I'm Annie Stone. If you ever make a joke about my breasts again, I will run you over with my car." Then I slap him, hard. The room is silent for a moment, and then erupts into laughter as everyone mocks the boy I slapped. I have no problem putting guys like him in their place, although I don't usually make such a spectacle of myself. Satisfied with myself, I walk away from the front area and head to class. On my way there, I hear someone calling me. "Annie!" I turn around and see a tired looking Maria chasing after me.

I stop walking and wait for her to catch up to me. She's grinning at me, giving me a pat on the back when she reaches me. "Way to go, girl! I just saw what you did to Elijah Lyone. He totally had it coming, he's always dragging down girls about their appearance. I'm so happy you did that!" She raises her hand, and I give her a high-five. We both laugh, pleased with what just happened. I'm actually on an adrenaline high right now. I've never done anything like that before, I don't know what came over me.

I hear people whooping from behind us, and Maria and I turn around to see who it is. Viv, Gabby and Ty are all coming towards us, stupid grins plastered on their faces. "Annieeee! You badass, you!" Viv screeches, giving me a high-five. Ty is clapping, and then makes a show of bowing to me. Gabby practically tackles me into a hug, jumping around like a little kid. I can't help but laugh at my friends' antics. All of this praise is definitely boosting my ego. "Wait, how do you guys already know about it? It only happened like five minutes ago." My friends laugh.

"Maria texted us! Also, a few other people filmed it. It's hilarious!" Tyler then pulls out his phone. "I have a video of it right here. The entire school knows about it already." He shows me the video. When I slap the boy, Elijah something, it sounds like I hit him a lot harder than I actually did, granted I did hit him pretty hard. I was letting out a lot of frustration with that slap. The whole school knows already? Wow, technology and living in a small town makes for gossip spreading at a world record speed.

Just then the bell rings, signaling for everyone to go to class. After another round of high-fives, Viv and I head to our first class, since we have all of our classes together. That's when I realize what our first class is. French. Uh oh, hopefully the regular teacher is in today, so that my mother isn't teaching the class. We walk into class and, to my relief, the regular teacher is present. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding in. Viv and I take a seat in the back row, since we both plan on talking to each other more than paying attention in class. Besides, I'm already fluent in French. You kind of have to be when you live in Montreal. Except I don't live there anymore… I'm still trying to wrap my head around that.

Class begins and, as I predicted, some pervert in the front row asks if we will be learning how to French kiss in this class, winking to a girl seated nearby. She gags, and everyone laughs at the boy. During class I notice that everyone is staring at me, except it's different this time. They're looking at me with admiration, with respect. I think I just got myself some street cred, or something like that. It certainly beats the looks I was getting yesterday. Why didn't I do this sooner? Because attacking students on the first day doesn't make for a good first impression. Ah, right. Viv bumps my shoulder, bringing me back to reality. "I still can't believe you did that," she giggles. I chuckle a bit. "Neither can I," I say.

The classroom door opens, and a teacher walks in. Oh crap, it's my mother. Damn, this could ruin everything, and I just got everyone's respect. The regular teacher grabs a few things from his desk and leaves, waving goodbye on his way out. My mother smiles and looks around the room. She spots me and her smile widens. Then she turns to face the chalkboard, writing her name on it. Viv gives me a curious look, having noticed the look my mother gave me, but doesn't say anything. Shit, she's only been here for ten seconds and Viv is already suspicious. "Bonjour. My name is Miss Platwurst and I will be the substitute teacher for this class. Mr. Pitah is a busy man, so we'll be seeing a lot of each other this year."

Thank goodness my mother and I don't share a last name, or else I'd be found out by now. I look over at Viv, who had been a lot quieter than usual the past few minutes. She seems to be lost in thought, and I don't want to bother her for no reason. We spend the rest of class that way, my mother trying to teach French to a bunch of idiots, Viv thinking hard about something and me trying to ignore the looks being thrown my way. Even though they're a lot friendlier than yesterday, they still make me a bit uncomfortable.

I'm a bit disappointed that Viv wasn't in a talking mood, because I really want to talk to her about something. I want to ask her about Bella Cullen. I want to know if she's ever heard of her, or possibly even met her. I want to learn more about the beautiful stranger I met in the woods. It was only yesterday, but it feels like it's been ages since I met Bella Cullen, if that's even her name. She didn't sound so sure yesterday. Anyway, I guess that'll have to wait until later. I remember her eyes. Even with the color contacts, they were so expressive. Her beautiful smile can light up a room. She was so confident, but humble at the same time. Her flawless hair framed her beautiful face perfectly. She has the most amazing laugh I've ever heard. I want to see her again. I need to see her again. I won't rest until I find Bella. I can't explain why, but I feel this connection, so strong even though we only had that short time in the forest. The whole hunting business was a bit odd, but then again Americans tend to be pretty gung-ho about these things, so who knows.

The bell rings, and every gets up to leave class. Viv snaps back to reality, blinking rapidly as her eyes adjust to her surroundings. I chuckle, amused by her obliviousness. She glares at me for laughing, but smiles after a moment, unable to stay serious for long. We're the last ones to leave, and on our way out my mother grabs me by the arm. Viv doesn't notice and keeps walking. "I heard about your little stunt this morning. We'll talk about it later," she says in a serious tone, but she's smiling. She's proud of me for standing up for myself. I smile back, forgetting where I am for a moment. It doesn't last long. "Annie? Where'd you go?" Oh, Viv. Oops. I wave to my mother before running out of the classroom to get to Viv. "Hey. Sorry, forgot something," I say, still hiding "the secret". As bizarre as my life is, I'm not what you would call "mysterious".

Viv just nods her head in understanding before we head off to our next class. Math. Once again, Viv tunes out as soon as we sit down. I wonder what's up with her today. Maybe I shouldn't ask her about Bella. She seems to have a lot on her mind already, and I really don't want to add to the pile. Then again, I have a lot on my mind, and I think I'm staying relatively sane considering. Oh well… maybe I should ask Maria, or Gabby, or Tyler. I look over at Viv. She's on a whole other planet. Yeah, I'll leave her be. I focus on math, since it isn't exactly my strong suit, and I don't have anyone to talk.

I can feel people staring at me, but it's becoming easier to handle, especially now that I've earned people's respect, so the stares are a lot less menacing. Math class goes by pretty quickly, and pretty soon the bell rings, signaling the end of class. Viv is so far gone this time that she doesn't even hear the bell, and when I tap her on the shoulder she jumps in surprise. I'm starting to worry a little bit. "Hey, are you okay?" She looks at me, surprised that I noticed her mood. Of course I noticed, that goof. "Well… I'm a bit embarrassed to tell you…" Embarrassed? What is there to be embarrassed about. "How come?" She looks at me sheepishly, then takes a deep breath. "Okay, well. You know the guy you slapped?" I nod my head, urging her to go on. "Well, you know the guy he was talking to? The guy who laughed at his awful joke?" I nod again. She looks at me guiltily. "He's my boyfriend. Or at least he was, but after this morning… I mean I would have been pissed no matter who the girl was, but the fact that is was you makes me a lot angrier about it. I'm so sorry Annie. I feel awful. You know what? That's it, we're done. He hasn't been very good to me anyway. We haven't been on a date in like three weeks, and people keep telling me he's flirting with other girls and—"

"Whoa! Take a second to breathe, Viv. I'll be honest, I don't like the fact that he was laughing, but be sure that you've thought this through, okay?" I really don't like him for what he did, but I don't want to let that cloud my judgement. What if she really likes him? Viv huffs. "I have, it's all I've been thinking about. I'm sure I want to do this. I'm just sad." She looks down at the ground. I sigh, and pull Viv in for a hug. She wraps herself around me immediately, taking deep breaths to steady herself. "I'm sorry," she says, in almost a whisper. I just give her a squeeze, letting her know that it's okay. We stand like that for about a minute, until Viv calms down.

She gives me a huge smile. "Thank you for being so cool about this. I know we're just getting to know each other, but I feel like we're going to be really good friends." I give her a huge grin, happy that she appreciates my company as much as I do hers. "I think so too," I simply say. I'm a woman of few words. "You ready to go? It's lunch, and I'm hungry, woman." Viv giggles, which makes me feel better. I don't like seeing Vivian sad. She nods, and we head to the cafeteria.

When we finally get to our table, we're the last to arrive. We sit down and before I can blink we're bombarded by a wave of questions. "Hey, where have you guys been? What's going on? Did you slap another jock?" Really, Gabby? Does she really think that I'm going to go on a slapping rampage, attacking every jock in the school? Actually, that sounds kind of fun. No, no violence.

Viv clears her throat, grabbing the attention of everyone at our table. "Guys, I just wanted to let you all know that after this morning's incident," Viv gives me a warm smile, "I have decided to break up with Chad." Gabby gasps, Maria just nods and Tyler doesn't even bother to look up from the sandwich he's eating. Well, that was anticlimactic. Conversation moves on to other topics, although all anyone wants to talk about is my violent outburst from this morning. "You are my idol," Gabby says. I roll my eyes at that. Gabby sure knows how to exaggerate.

Eventually they move on to talk about other things. Now that Viv's issued has pretty much been settled, I want to ask her about Bella. I can't go five minutes without thinking about that beautiful, enchanting, mysterious girl. It's starting to drive me nuts. Oh hell, just go for it. "Hey Viv, can I ask you something?" She nods, busy trying to eat her hotdog without spilling ketchup on herself. I roll my eyes at her silliness, but continue. "Have you ever heard of a girl named Bella Cullen?" Her brows furrow in concentration as she thinks about what I asked. "Um… yeah, that's Charlie Swan's daughter. The police chief, the guy whose house you moved into." I nod my head. "Bella got married to Edward Cullen a few years ago. No one's really heard from them since."

I stop listening after that. Bella's… Bella's married? I suddenly feel sick to my stomach. But why? I don't know Bella, it shouldn't affect me like this. And yet I can't help but feel this gut-wrenching pain. It takes me a few minutes of deep breathing before it subsides. What the hell was that? I want to know more, I need to know more about this. Who is Edward Cullen? "Oh… who is Edward Cullen?" A part of me doesn't want to know, but my curiosity will eat me alive if I don't ask.

Tyler perks up. "My dad knew his dad. The Cullens are this weird family that live somewhere in the woods. No one knows where. Anyway, the mom and dad adopted a bunch of kids, all of which are around the same age, and the kids are actually couples. It's really weird. Like they aren't related by blood, but they're still siblings. I don't know. Anyway, my dad said that Edward is this really moody guy. I don't think anyone has ever seen him smile. He got married to Bella Swan, and then their whole family just went off the grid." Huh. That's… weird. I don't know what to make of that. I wonder why, then. Why did Bella reach out to me? Why me, of all people? Why now?

As if reading my thoughts, Viv asks, "Why do you want to know about that anyway?" Something tells me that I shouldn't tell my friends about my strange encounter with the girl, since that would only bring more questions. Questions I don't have the answers to. "Oh, I just heard someone talking about her in math class, that's all." Viv looks at me sceptically, not buying it for one second. Everyone else seems to accept my answer though, so she doesn't say anything. Viv is really good about keeping things private. It's one of the reasons I like her so much.

The bell rings, signaling the end of lunch. I pack up my things and walk out of the cafeteria almost mechanically, and Vivian has to run to catch up with me. I just need time to process all of this. What I have learned has only left me with more questions. What happened after the wedding? Why did the whole family disappear? Where did they go? Are they officially back? My mind is swirling with questions.

The rest of the day passes in a flash. I stop paying attention to the world around me, too focused on thinking about the girl who continues to consume my thoughts. Bella Cullen, what kind of person are you? Who are you? When the day is over, I walk mechanically to my mother's car, not caring about whether or not someone sees. I don't care anymore. I climb in and put on my seatbelt. My mother notices my change in demeanor. "What's wrong, sweetie?" I can't explain what's wrong without telling her about Bella, and I don't want to do that. "Just a headache," I say, hoping that my mother will drop the subject. She looks at me for a moment, then just nods her head. We pull out of the parking lot and head home.

When we pull into the driveway, I walk straight into my room. When I get there I curl up in a ball on my bed, and just stay that way for a long time. I should eat something, I should do my homework, I should text Maddie back, but I can't. I'm too tired. I stay in this position until it's dark outside. I look over at the clock. 12:30 a.m. I should at least change into something more comfortable to sleep in. I change into my pyjamas.

Suddenly I remember the creature in the forest, the one with the gold eyes. I walk over to my window. I don't see anything at first, so I wait. After what seems like forever, something shifts between the trees, and the familiar gold eyes greet me. What is this thing? Why does it come here every night, as if it were telling me "goodnight"? Is it even real, or is it just my imagination? "Hello?" The creature doesn't move from it's spot behind a tree, but I could swear that the eyes changed, as if they were smiling at me.

Then the trees shift, and the creature is gone. I just roll my eyes, used to the creature's antisocial behavior. I lie in bed again, and stare up at the ceiling. I still can't get Bella Cullen out of my head. I do decide on one thing. Tomorrow, I'm going back into the forest to find her. There's a good chance that I won't, but what else can I do? With that, I close my eyes and drift off into sleep.

 **A/N: Hey! Just wanted to thank people for reading. I'm having a lot of fun writing this. Also, shout out to TOK1N, I appreciate your enthusiasm! :D BTW this will focus more on Bella/Annie soon, I promise! Last thing: This one's a bit longer, since the next one probably won't be posted for a few days… exams :P THANKS AGAIN :D**


	5. Meetings

Chapter 5: Meetings

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. You get the idea.**

I wake to the screeching sound of my alarm clock. Well that's new. I get up and, just in case, check under my bed for crazy neighbours. Nope, nothing. Satisfied that I am in fact alone in my room, I get up, take a shower and get dressed. Once I'm ready, I grab my school bag and head downstairs, not wanting to have to come back for it afterwards. I toss my bag on the couch and walk into the kitchen. My mom is plating my breakfast, which actually looks edible for once. When did she learn to cook?

I knock on the wall, getting my mother's attention without scaring her shitless. She smiles, "Hey Annie, I've got breakfast under control. Go ahead and sit down in the dining room," she says, giving me a warm smile. Huh, she's in a really good mood this morning. I sit at the dining room table, and my mother walks in, placing a dish of delicious looking food in front of me. It smells amazing. There's bacon, scrambled eggs, sausage, pancakes and more. There's no way I can eat all of this.

"Wow this looks awesome, mom. Where did you learn do to this?" She smiles proudly, then laughs to herself. "I actually learned it from Mrs. Rykes," she says while passing me some maple syrup. It's not breakfast without maple syrup. Wait, Cindy Rykes? She comes by to talk about dinner, and instead she talks about ballet recitals and cooking recipes. Uh oh, we have dinner with the Rykes family tonight.

I hate to ruin my mother's good mood, but she needs to know. "You know we're having dinner at Cindy and Michael's tonight," I say, watching my mother's face go from happy to horrified. "Fuck," she grumbles and sits down to eat breakfast. Oh well, it could be worse.

My mind wanders back to my plan to go to the woods to find Bella. I can't go after school, since we have dinner plans. I don't want to put it off, I'm starting to lose my mind over Bella Cullen. I think I'll just fake being sick and leave school early, that way I'll have enough time before we have to go over to Cindy and Michael's house for dinner. I think I have gym today too, so skipping it would be a bonus.

I feel my phone buzz in my pocket and I go to pull it out, but my mother stops me. "No phones at the table," she says simply, scowling until I return the object to my pocket. We finish up breakfast and drive to school. My mother waits in the car until I'm in the building again, which at this point is rather useless, since everyone probably knows already.

I walk in and as soon as I do I come face to face with the boy I embarrassed yesterday, Elijah something. He just scowls at me and keeps walking, knowing better than to say something that might piss me off. I smirk, pleased with myself for having put that pathetic boy in his place.

I go to my locker to grab my books, since I only plan on skipping in the afternoon. I feel someone tap me on the shoulder, and I turn around to see Maria standing behind me. I give her a warm smile, "Hey Maria, didn't see you there. What's up?" She smiles back, but she looks preoccupied about something. "Why were you asking about the Cullens yesterday?" She looks worried now, worried for me. "Did you talk to one of them?" She looks at me intently now, and I just nod my head, not wanting to lie to her anymore. I don't want to lie to anyone anymore. "Look, I have a friend who lives on the Quileute reserve. His name is Seth Clearwater. He says that the tribe seems to know something about the Cullens that the rest of us don't. Apparently, they're bad news, so be careful, okay?"

Well that seems a bit overdramatic, but I appreciate the gesture. I nod my head resignedly, not really sure how else to respond to what Maria just said. She gives me a sympathetic smile, squeezes my shoulder and walks away. Well that was rather ominous, especially coming from Maria. What did she mean by "bad news"? Also, there's a reservation around here? What could they possibly know about the Cullens that makes them such a threat? There are so many questions swirling around in my mind that I'm getting a headache.

I take a deep breath, close my locker and head to my first class. I honestly feel like I won't have to fake being sick, the way I'm feeling right now. I get to class early, and no one else has arrived yet, but I could use some alone time anyway.

That's when I remember my phone buzzing earlier and pull it out of my pocket. Another text from Maddie. **Hey! Stop ignoring me you little shit. Text me as soon as you get this.** I feel bad for neglecting my best friend, but I ignore the text. I already feel like we're drifting apart, and it's all because of my lack of effort. I can't even be bothered to send her a text. I'm such a shitty friend. There's just been so much going on since I got here, and I still know almost nothing about my new home. I mean seriously, there is a reservation and I only found out about just now.

The bell rings, and soon the classroom is filled up with students. Viv sits next to me and gives me a smile. "Hey, just wanted to tell you that I'm breaking up with Chad today." She seems happy with her decision, and I certainly don't have any complaints. I smile and give her a pat on the shoulder, which she laughs at. Then she pulls me in for a hug. Wow, Americans sure are affectionate. Funny how the stereotype goes the other way around.

We spend our time talking about random things, and I notice that people aren't staring at me as much, which is a huge relief. It also means that no one knows that my mother is a teacher here, not that I care at this point. Why not tell someone? I'll tell Viv right here, right now. "Hey Viv, you know that substitute teacher for French class?" Viv nods, her brows furrowing in confusion. "She's my mom," I say nonchalantly and watch as Viv's eyes nearly double in size. "Are you being serious right now?" The look on her face is absolutely priceless. I simply nod my head.

She just stares at me, shell-shocked, for a few seconds. Then she frowns. She looks angry, like REALLY angry. What did I miss? "Do I really mean so little to you that you don't bother telling me who your mother is until now? You couldn't even tell me when she showed up to class?" Oh boy… note to self: do not keep things from Vivian unless absolutely necessary, no matter how insignificant the thing may be.

Viv almost looks ready to cry. Jesus, for someone so confident on the outside, she sure is sensitive. I grab her lightly by the shoulders. "Hey, come on Viv. I'm sorry, I didn't know that this would upset you so much, otherwise I would have told you right away. I just didn't want the whole school knowing on the first day, that's all. If it makes you feel any better, you're the first person I've told."

I don't think I've ever seen someone so upset over something as trivial as this, but part of me is flattered that she cares so much. She takes a few deep breaths and visibly relaxes. Then Viv blushes, "I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me. I guess I just don't like the idea of us keeping secrets from each other. Promise to tell me everything from now on?" I nod my head, but she still isn't convinced. I make a show of it, placing my right hand over my heart and my left in the air. "I, Annie Stone, promise to tell Vivian Croft everything she wants to know from now on." Vivian giggles at that, and she immediately looks better.

Part of me still feels guilty because I haven't told her about Bella, but I just need to keep that to myself, at least for now. Although I should probably mention that I'm skipping this afternoon, otherwise she might be upset with me. "Full disclosure, I'm skipping school this afternoon. I'm just not up to gym class today." Viv looks disappointed, but just nods in understanding, appreciating my mentioning it to her. Then the bell rings, and we head to second period, where we spend the whole time making jokes at the teacher's expense. Then third period we play games to pass the time, like tic tack toe.

Eventually lunch rolls around, but I stay a bit longer than I had planned to because Viv guilt trips me. After that I go to the nurse, claiming that I'm not feeling well, and I am dismissed. Sometimes I scare myself with the fact that I have no problem lying to people, but I don't usually have to, so it's not a big deal.

I leave school, only then realizing that I would have to walk, since my mother drove me here and I can't take her car. I send her a text saying that I wasn't feeling well at lunch and I got a ride home from a friend. She texts me back. **Okay, next time you get sick ask me instead of a friend. I'll pick up some soup on the way home. See you soon, sweetie.** Satisfied that my mother believed me, I walk home, which is actually just a fifteen-minute walk. Apparently the roads go the long way around, but in reality my house isn't that far from the school, which is a pleasant surprise for me.

I get home, toss my bag in my room and make myself something to eat. I eat quickly, wanting to go to the forest as soon as possible. As soon as I finish eating I head outside, practically running into the forest. I want to see Bella again. I want to find her right now. I walk back to the clearing in the forest where I first met Bella. I don't see her, or anyone for that matter. Okay, really stupid idea: maybe she'll hear me if I call to her. The more I think about it, the more ridiculous it sounds, but I don't have a better idea. This shit right here is why they invented phones, unfortunately I don't know Bella's number, assuming she even has a phone. Here we go.

I suck in the required oxygen, to the point where my lungs feel as if they'll burst. "BELLA!" I shout, impressed with myself for how well I can project, or at least how good I think I can. I wait a moment, then try again. "BELLA CULLEN!" Nothing. Well of course not, how would that ever work?

I sigh and go sit in my spot under the big oak tree, deciding that I might as well take a moment to relax. The truth is that I'm disappointed, but I push those thoughts away, rest against the oak tree and close my eyes.

Cold hands grab me from behind, one restraining my torso and the other over my mouth. Oh my god, someone is trying to murder me. I try to scream, but my attacker already has a hand clamped over my mouth, so it's no use. I start kicking at random, flailing my arms in the desperate hope that I might get lucky and hit my attacker. No such luck. Suddenly the hands let me go and I dive forwards, wanting to get away from this person as quickly as possible. I get up and head for the house as fast as I can.

"Annie!" A familiar voice calls, causing me to stop in my tracks. Bella? I turn around slowly, and I'm met with a sight I've been longing to see so much it's driving me crazy. Bella smiles at me, pleased that I'm no longer running away from her. Then she giggles. "You're too easy," she says, playfully pushing my shoulder. I glare at her for as long as I can, my resolve fading fast. "That wasn't funny, you asshole," I say, thoroughly annoyed at her for scaring me so bad. She smirks. "Oooh, someone's feisty today."

I roll my eyes at that and walk past Bella, confident that she will follow me back to the clearing. I sit under the oak tree again, and Bella sits down in front of me, crossing her legs and leaning her elbows on them. It's actually rather adorable. "I have to say, I'm quite impressed with your range. I could hear you surprisingly well," she says, looking at me humorously. Then her expression morphs into one of embarrassment. "I'm sorry I scared you, it's just that you didn't see me coming, and I didn't need people thinking that I was out here murdering you, so I had to keep you from screaming. Like I said, you are very loud." I smile at her, ignoring the last part of what she said. "It's okay," I say simply, mentally scolding myself for looking like such a coward in front of Bella. "You know, I had forgotten how cold your hands are." She just rolls her eyes at that. "Yeah, well yours are pretty cold for a human," she says.

Wait, what? "What do you mean, 'for a human'?" She looks at me, giving me the deer caught in the headlights looks again. "Oh, I don't… um… I don't know why I said that." I look her in the eye. "Still wearing contacts, I see." She laughs at that, more to herself than to me. "Yup. Hey, can I ask you something?" I nod my head. "Can we get to know each other?" I feel by breath catch in my throat. She wants to get to know me? I smile to myself, giddy with pleasure at what Bella has just asked me. She's looking at me now, then looks to the ground, taking my silence as a no.

She pouts, making me feel guilty for absolutely no reason. I roll my eyes. How could I possibly say no to that, even if I didn't want to get to know her? And I do want to get to know her. "I'd like that," I simply say. It's enough for her to give me a warm smile. She suddenly focuses on a random spot in the dirt. "To be honest I've been wanting to talk to you since the other day, but I didn't have the courage to come see you. I don't know why, but you make me nervous. I guess it's just been a while since I've made a friend."

I smile at that, finding it ridiculous that someone as beautiful as Bella would be intimidated my me. For a brief moment Maria's warnings pop into my head, but I push them aside, not wanting to spoil the moment. "So, what would you like to know?" She gives me a shy smile. "I don't know… could you tell me about yourself?" She looks at me hopefully, uncertainty in her eyes.

As much as I hate to talk about myself, there's no way I can say no to that face. "Okay. Well, my full name is Annie Marie Stone. I know it sounds weird, but then again, my mother is weird. I was born and raised in Montreal, Canada. I live with my mom, who is a teacher. That's why we moved here, actually. She was offered a job down here. My father died when I was young, about six months old. He was killed in a hit and run. They never found the guy who did it. I'm 18 years old. And, um… I had a pet fish once?"

Bella giggles at my last comment, then scoots from her spot across from me and leans next to me on the tree. She pats my knee comfortingly. "I'm sorry about your dad." I nod my head. "So what about you? It's only fair that you tell me about yourself." She smiles at that, then takes a deep breath. "Well, it's a bit complicated. I actually don't know how to tell you…" She looks me in the eye, and she looks so sad.

I cover her hand, still resting on my knee, with my own. Her hands are so cold, it seems unreal. "I've been asking around about you, you know," she tenses up at that, looking at me guiltily. "What have you heard?" She sounds nervous. I decide to just tell her. "Well, according to a friend of a friend, you're dangerous," I say, not wanting to finish my sentence, "and that you're married." Bella flinches at that, eyes smoldering with pain. For a moment I feel hope, seeing her flinch at the mention of her husband. But she's in pain, and that pains me. She looks at me sadly. "It isn't working out."

She clearly doesn't want to talk about it. Neither do I, really. I nod my head in understanding, not really sure what to say. "So, can you tell me about yourself now, or am I going to have to get all my information from other people?" Bella smiles at me, rolling her eyes. "Okay, okay. So, my name is Isabella. Before I got married, my name was Isabella Swan," she says.

Wait, Swan? Why does that sound familiar. Bella gives me a knowing smile. "My dad is Charlie Swan, the police chief." Oh, that's right. Wait, does Bella realize that I'm living in her dad's old house? "I know you're living in my dad's old house now." Holy crap, is she reading my mind? "No, I can't read minds." I look at her with wide eyes and she just giggles at my awkwardness. "Anyway, my mother's name is Renée, my favorite color is blue and I've never had a pet fish."

That last bit of information takes me by surprise, and I laugh. Bella stares at me, debating whether or not to tell me something. "You… you have a beautiful laugh." I… what? "W-what?" I manage to croak out, not believing what I just heard. Her smiles grows wider. "You have a beautiful laugh," she says again, a lot more confident than before. I sport a huge grin, pleased with myself. "Are you kidding? You have the most amazing laugh I've ever heard!" Bella's eyes widen, surprised at my boldness. Whoa, I need to work on filtering what I say before I say it. No, I shouldn't. I should shower Bella with compliments, just in a normal voice, instead of shouting them out like a madwoman.

Bella smiles at me wide, then looks at the ground. "Can… Can I have your number?" I'd give her one of my legs if she asked. "Sure," I say, beaming at Bella. I pass her my phone, and she puts in her number. She hands it back to me. "Wait, I need a contact picture," I say, which is really just an excuse to get a picture of Bella. I open the camera and Bella shrieks. "No! Put that thing down, I look terrible!"

I stop in my tracks. She can't really think that, can she? She's beautiful, she's like an angel, she's… perfect. "Bella, you can't believe that. Do you have any idea how beautiful you are? I mean look at you! You're absolutely gorgeous!" Bella gives me a shy smile, and I take advantage of the moment to take her picture. "Hey, no fair!" I grin devilishly, pleased with the picture I had taken. I put my phone away, deciding that she probably wouldn't appreciate it if I were to take more pictures, who knows why.

I grab Bella's hand, shocked by how cold it is. "Holy crap, your hands are freezing!" Bella just giggles. "Yeah, they're always like that," she says nonchalantly. Then she rests her head on my shoulder. We stay that way for a while, sitting under the oak tree, Bella's head on my shoulder.

I just watch her, appreciating this moment. She's the most amazing person I've ever met, despite how little I know her. She has the face of an angel, the smile of a goddess. I can imagine people going to war just to make her smile. Hell, I would. I can't help but stare at her lips, imagining how they would feel against mine, imagine how they would taste. I take a deep breath, and her heavenly smell fills my nose, making me feel a bit light-headed. I feel like I'm walking on clouds.

"I don't think your name is weird, I think it suits you," Bella blurts out. I laugh at her bluntness and she swats my shoulder playfully. We spend a few more minutes in silence. A part of me is completely relaxed, enjoying the feeling of Bella next to me, while another part of me is practically having a heart attack. I can feel my heartbeat picking up in pace, hear it ringing in my ears. Then I notice Bella shift a bit. She suddenly seems uncomfortable. After a few seconds she abruptly stands up, slowly backing away from me. "Bella, what's wrong?"

I watch her continue to back away, and I stand up from my spot under the tree. What— whoa, Bella's eyes… they're black. The usually honey-color eyes were pitch black. There's no way she's wearing contacts, it just isn't possible. Then again, neither is someone's eye color changing from gold to black. Bella takes in a shaky breath. "I-I… I'm sorry, I just- I can't…" She runs into the woods and disappears between the trees in an instant.

I stand in the clearing, staring into the woods where Bella had just disappeared. What just happened?

 **A/N: *GASP* Hey everyone! I just wanted to say thanks for reading, and sorry for not updating sooner. Exams :P Anyway thank you for following and reviewing, I appreciate the support (BTW I don't mind constructive criticism, so don't be shy.) I'll update again soon, :D**


	6. Neighbors

Chapter 6: Neighbors

I don't know how long it's been since Bella took off into the forest and disappeared, but for some reason I can't bring myself to move. I can hardly bring myself to breathe. What did I do wrong? Was it something I said? Why did she go? I stand there for what seems like hours, trying to understand what just happened. Eventually I just turn around and head home, remembering that my day is far from over, and I still have to go to dinner at Michael and Cindy's house. Great, just great.

I walk back to the house, slamming the door shut behind me. I hear a clang from the kitchen, and my mother emerges a moment later. "There you are! I came home and you weren't here. Where did you go?" Well I can't tell her truth, or the whole truth anyway. "I just went into the woods for a bit. I needed some fresh air." My mother frowns, not quite believing me, but moves on. "Well are you feeling any better?" I sigh. "Yup, good as new." Except for Bella literally running for the hills to get away from me.

My mother looks… disappointed. "Oh." I raise an eyebrow at her, and she gives me a sheepish look. "Okay, I was kind of hoping you wouldn't be so that we could just tell the Rykes that you're sick and that we can't come to dinner." Wow, that's low, even for my mother. I give her a disapproving look. "Oh shut up, it's not like you want to go either," she says, rolling her eyes. I laugh at her ridiculousness. "You ready to go?" She huffs, then nods her head resignedly. She grabs her jacket and we head out the front door, locking it behind us.

We climb into the car and head to the Rykes household. We don't speak the whole way there, but it's a comfortable silence. The whole time I go over my time with Bella. I like Bella Swan a lot more than Bella Cullen, it has a nicer ring to it. And Bella Swan isn't married. Could that have been what set her off? My asking about her marriage? No, she was fine, she stayed with me for a while after. So what was it? I thought she was having a nice time. She even gave me her number. Oh, she doesn't have my number.

I take out my phone and scroll through the contacts until I see the name I'm looking for. I open the contact and send her a message. **Hey, it's Annie. Just wanted to give you my number, if you still want to talk to me.** Then I go back to her contact and press 'select contact photo'. My gallery pops up and the first picture I see is the one I took of Bella earlier. It's a beautiful picture, but no picture could ever capture just how beautiful she really is. I select the picture, making it her contact photo. I sigh, then turn off my phone and place it in my pocket. I know better than to leave it on, because it could go off during dinner which would be extremely rude. And so that I won't spend the whole time checking my phone to see if Bella responded.

That's when I notice that the car has stopped. I take a deep breath before getting out of the car, bracing myself the long dinner ahead. Maybe I should have faked sick… My mother and I drag our feet to the front door. I wait for my mother to ring the doorbell, but she doesn't, instead staring at the door with dread. I roll my eyes at her, then ring the doorbell. At first we hear nothing, no one comes to the door. "Oh no, they aren't here. Let's go," my mother says, trying to make a break for the car. I grab her by the arm, stopping her in her tracks. "Okay, I get that you don't like Cindy, and I'll admit that she goes a bit overboard, but she means well. Be nice," I say, having decided that I should be a little bit more open-minded about her as well.

My mother gives me a look that I can't place. "Alright, but keep your distance from her, otherwise she'll probably start knocking at our door at 2 a.m. to talk about a dream she just had. It's actually a bit creepy how attached she's getting to you." What the hell is that supposed to mean? She's just being nice. I give her another disapproving look, which she once again rolls her eyes at. I'll ask her what she meant by that later.

I ring the doorbell again, surprised that no one has answered the door yet. I hear someone shout, "Oh my goodness, they're here! I'm so excited! Honey, Annie and Lisa are here!" Geez, Cindy gets loud when she's excited. I'm actually quite flattered by how happy she is to see us. The door flings open and we're met by an ecstatic-looking Cindy. "Hi Annie! Hi Lisa! It's so great to see you!" She grabs me by the arm and yanks me through the door, leaving my mother to step in behind us.

I walk into her house, and I can't help but widen my eyes. Everything in the house is white. The walls, the carpeting on the floors, the furniture, everything. It's practically burning my eyes. Who would torture themselves like this? Cindy turns to me. "We just renovated the house. What do you think?" She looks so excited, there's no way I can bring myself to tell her what I really think. "It looks fantastic, Cindy! It's so… inviting," I reply, earning a warm smile from Cindy.

I hear my mother snicker, and turn to see her covering her mouth with her hand to stop herself from bursting out laughing. I feel I smile tug at my lips, put I manage to control my urge to laugh. Michael walks into the entryway. "Hello Annie, Lisa. It's good to see you again, come on in." My mother walks past me, and Cindy finally lets go of my arm. "Lily and Lucy have been looking forward to seeing you again. Would you like to see them?" I look at Cindy in surprise. I thought the kids were just tolerating my presence when she and Michael dragged them over. Although that probably wasn't Michael's idea. "Oh, well that would be nice," I say, awkwardly smiling.

Cindy grabs my arm again, very tightly I might add, and drags me into another room. It's like her house is an asylum, but without the padded walls. I see Lucy and Lily drawing at the table in the center of the room. They look up when we enter the room, and smile at me. Wow, I guess they do like me. The younger girl, Lily, walks up to me. She smiles and says, "Can I show you my drawing?" I nod my head, and Lily takes me by the hand and pulls me over to the table.

I sit down in the seat next to hers. I look at Cindy, who starts doing her seal clap. She looks at her children, and she just radiates pride. It's nice to see someone so openly affectionate towards their children. I mean, I know my mother loves me and is proud of me, but we're not the kind of family that expresses everything we feel.

I feel Lily tugging on my shirt, and I look at the drawing she wants to show me. It's a drawing of a bunch of stick figures, although it's actually pretty good for a six-year-old. She points at each figure, telling me who they are. "This one is my daddy, this one is my mommy, this one is me, this one is Lucy, this one is you and that one is your mommy." Wait… what? She drew my mother and I, too?

Cindy comes over and looks at the picture. "Lily, this is beautiful! How about I put it on the fridge?" Lily nods her head enthusiastically, pleased with her mother's reaction. Oh, I should compliment it. "I really like it Lily, thank you for showing it to me." Lily gives me a beaming smile. I don't have much experience with kids, so it's good to know that I can get at least one kid to like me. I look over at Lucy, who I noticed hasn't said anything since I came in. We make eye contact, then she frowns at me and goes back to whatever it is that she's drawing. Something tells me it'll take more time to win her over.

Cindy grabs me by the arm again and drags me out of the room. On her way out she calls back to her kids, "Girls, start putting away your things. Dinner will be ready soon." Cindy drags me into the kitchen, where Michael and my mother seem to be getting acquainted. Michael notices Cindy gripping my arm, and frowns slightly. Why is he frowning? Isn't she this friendly with everyone? The frown disappears after a split second, and Michael smiles at me. "Hey Annie, I thought we'd lost you," he jokes, looking over at the oven to check on whatever it is he's preparing for dinner. "We're having some of my famous lasagna for dinner," he says, as if reading my thoughts. "Sounds great. Smells great, too," I say, and it really does smell delicious. Michael turns to Cindy. "Honey, how about showing Lisa the skylight we just had put in?"

Cindy drops my arm, which I had forgotten that she was still holding. She does her trademark seal clap and practically sprints out of the room, my mother following her as slowly as humanly possible. Once they've left, Michael turns to me. "I thought we should take a moment to get acquainted. Care to sit?" He motions to the kitchen table, and we both sit. He takes a deep breath. "Before I start, I just wanted to thank you for being so patient with my wife. I know that's being, well, clingy. To be honest Cindy doesn't have many friends, people around here are a bit put off by her openness," he says. Put off? Why would they be put off? She's incredibly nice, who wouldn't want to be her friend? "She really likes you. Honestly, she's been talking about you nonstop, and I'm almost jealous." He laughs.

I don't know what to say to that, so I just sit quietly, waiting for him to continue. He doesn't, so we spend a few minutes sitting in an awkward silence. "Well, um, you don't have to thank me. Cindy is a lovely person, and I don't see how someone wouldn't want to know her." Michael smiles at me appreciatively. "Oh, I should probably warn you that Cindy plans on inviting you to Lily and Lucy's ballet recital. It's in two weeks. She also wants you to come with us to go bowling next Tuesday." My god, this is getting weirder by the minute. "Oh… well I don't know if it would really be appropriate for me to go to the girls' dance recital, but bowling sounds nice," I say, even though going bowling with them doesn't sound like it'll be any less awkward.

Michael sees my discomfort and laughs. "Well Cindy will be pleased to hear that. I'll try to get her to restrain herself, since she does tend to go overboard. I can tell that she's starting to drive Lisa nuts." I laugh at that, knowing full well that mother is certainly not Cindy's biggest fan. I can't believe how patient Michael is. "So, Michael, I have to ask. Why did you agree to turn your house completely white?" Michael bursts into a laughing fit, laughing even harder when he looks at me. I must have been making a face. "I know, I know. In hindsight I should have realized that Cindy would take this too far. Don't get me wrong, I love her to death, but it's so white it's almost blinding. You should have seen your face when you came in. It was priceless," He chuckles.

The oven beeps, signaling that the lasagna is ready. Michael takes a deep breath, and smirks at me. "Ready for dinner?" We both laugh, and I help him set up the dinner table, even though he insists that it isn't necessary. I hate to feel useless, so I help him anyway. Eventually we all gather around the table. My mother sits to my right and, not surprisingly, Cindy sits to my left.

Dinner actually turns out to be a lot of fun, for the most part. Michael talks about how he used to play pro football (I called it). Cindy manages to find so many things to talk about and somehow manage to make them interesting. Who would have thought that you could have a fascinating discussion about cinnamon? The only problem is that, throughout the whole dinner, Lucy is shooting daggers at me. No one seems to notice, not even my mother. I do my best to ignore it, which isn't too hard, but it's still making me uncomfortable.

We wrap it up around 9 p.m., and everyone is in a good mood. Well, except for Lucy. On our way out, Lily runs up to me. "Wait, Annie!" I turn around and crouch down, so that we're at the same eye level. She hands me something, and I look down to see the drawing she made earlier. "For me?" I smile, genuinely flattered. She nods her head shyly, then gives me a hug. My god is she cute. I give her a pat on the back. "Thank you, Lily. I'll put it up on the fridge, so you can see it next time you come over." She grins, pleased that I do in fact like the drawing. I give her a high-five, and she runs into the other room with Lucy, who shoots me one last glare before leaving. What is up with her?

Michael pats me on the shoulder, thanks my mother and I for coming over, and heads back inside. My mother, not wanting to have to interact with Cindy any more than necessary, curtly says goodnight and heads to the car. She climbs in and waits for me to finish up. I turn to Cindy. "So, Michael told me about your plans. I can't make it to the recital, but I'm sure the girls will be fantastic. As for bowling, I'd be happy to go, but it would just be me. My mother has a meeting that day," I say, sparing my mother from bowling, which she already hates, with Cindy.

Cindy's face falls when I say I'm unavailable for the recital, but she smiles when I agree to go bowling. "That's great! We'll pick you up on Tuesday, then. How's 6:30?" I nod my head, and Cindy claps like a seal once again. "Well thank you for having us for dinner, we had a nice time. I'll see you on Tuesday," I say, turning to head to the car. Cindy grabs me by the arm, whirling me around to face her again. She roughly pulls me in for an awkward hug, which lasts for an unusually long time for someone you hardly know. After what seems like an eternity, she lets me go, waves good bye and returns to the house.

I walk over to the car and climb in. My mother turns to me. "See? That's not normal for a neighbor to do," she says, glaring at the door that Cindy exited through. I sigh. "Look mom, I had a talk with Michael. He explained to me that you're not the only one who isn't a fan of Cindy. Apparently she doesn't have many friends, and she's just really excited is all." My mother looks at me warily, then sighs. "Alright, if you say so," she says, still not quite convinced. "By the way, I'm going bowling with them next Tuesday. I told Cindy you had a meeting and you couldn't go." My mother's eyes grow wide at the mention of bowling, but she relaxes when I tell her that she isn't expected to join us. "Thank you for that. I don't understand where you get your patience from," she says incredulously. My mother pulls out of the driveway, and we head home.

When we arrive I head straight to the kitchen to put up Lily's drawing, knowing that I would forget to do it if I waited. Then I head straight upstairs, feeling wiped out after such a long, eventful day. Once in my room, I slip off my light jacket and pull out my phone. I turn it on, and my eyes grow to the size of golf balls. My phone reads 'you have 22 missed phone calls'. Holy shit that's a lot. I go my voicemail to check my messages.

That's when I realize that they're all from Bella. I can't help but smile, pleased that she wants to talk to me. My smile fades when I think back to how she just ran for it earlier today, which really hurt, like a lot. I was used to rejection, but this was a whole new level, and I can't really explain why. I select the first message and listen. **"Hey Annie, it's Bella. Listen, I really want to talk to you. I… I'm really sorry about earlier. I just want a chance to explain. Please call me.** Then she hangs up. I select on the next message. **"Annie? It's Bella again. Look, I don't blame you for being mad at me. Hell, I wouldn't blame you if you never wanted to talk to me again, but I just really want a chance. Please call me back…"** Then she hangs up.

I proceed to listen to all 22 messages she left me, even if they're all practically identical. I can't help the butterflies in my stomach. She really does want to talk to me. I take a deep breath, then press 'call back'. The phone rings once, twi— "Hello?" I hear the voice I've been wanting to hear since this afternoon. I stay silent for a moment. "Hey Bella, it's Annie." I hear an audible sigh of relief. "Annie! Thank god, I was so scared you wouldn't call me back. I'm so sorry!" I can't help but smile at the concern in her voice. How could she possibly think that I would be able to ignore her?

Bella continues, "I don't know how to explain what happened this afternoon. I just… I can't… ugh, why does this have to be so hard?" She sounds upset, clearly frustrated that she can't explain herself. I'm confused more than anything. She sighs, "Forgive me?" She sounds so unsure. To be honest, if she had asked me an hour ago, hell, if she'd asked me five minutes ago, I probably would have just hung up the phone, but now that I know how guilty she feels about it, and that she really does want to speak to me, I'm okay with it. Even if she can't explain why. "I forgive you," I say, smiling when I hear Bella sigh in relief. "When can I see you?" Bella asks, taking me completely by surprise. I'm about to say right now, but I decide against it. "How about this weekend? How's Saturday?"

She doesn't respond for a moment. "Okay," she says, a bit disappointed that Saturday is three days away. I giggle at her eagerness. I look at the time, and sigh. "It's getting late, and I've got school tomorrow. Maybe you could call me tomorrow?" I can hardly finish my sentence before Bella agrees, which makes me smile. I still can't understand how someone as amazing as her would ever want to spend time with me. "Goodnight, Bella." I yawn, feeling the stress from earlier dissipate quickly. "Goodnight, Annie." I smile to myself, then hang up the phone. I'm about to go to bed, when I remember to go look out my window for the mysterious creature.

I look out the window, and immediately see the gold eyes looking at me. Except… these eyes are different. These eyes look angry. I swear I hear a growl coming from the creature. Could this be another one? Then the growling stops and the angry creature is gone. Huh, I should probably ask someone about that… I climb into bed, falling asleep almost instantly. My mind wanders back to Bella, and I fall into a blissful sleep full of dreams about the girl who plagues my mind constantly.

 **A/N: Hey everyone! Thanks for reading! I'm even surprising myself with how fast I'm writing this, but that works out pretty well for you guys, huh? I appreciate the support, and thank you to my reviewers, of course. Next chapter will be posted soon :D**

 **P.S. ilovetwilight999: I hadn't really thought about it. Who did you have in mind?**


	7. Tracks

Chapter 7: Tracks

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, but I do own a pack of gum.**

BANG! I jump out of bed. What the fuck? Was that a gunshot? Is there a crazed gunman out here? BANG! I dive down to the floor, fearing that if I sit up I'll get a bullet right through the forehead, just like in every action movie ever made. I watch way too much tv… focus, Annie! I crawl out of my bedroom, looking for my mother. Then again my mother is so batshit crazy that it could be her out there, shooting at random for her own amusement. BANG! I flinch at the sound. Is it getting louder? Are they getting closer? "Mom! Where are you?" No response. Holy fuck, my mother is dead and I'm going to die next. "Annie? Are you okay?" Oh thank god she's not dead. "Yeah, I'm okay. What's going on?" I can tell that she's somewhere downstairs, but I'm not sure where exactly. BANG! Oh shit, it's definitely getting closer. "I don't know. I'm going to go check it out," she yells, then I hear the front door open. "No! Mom, they'll shoot you! Stay down!" I hear the door shut. Who hears gunshots and walks towards them? I have to save her!

I stealthily make my way downstairs, expecting bullets to fly through the wall at any moment. I make it to the kitchen where I grab a frying pan. Frying pans can deflect bullets, right? There hasn't been any gunfire in a few minutes, so this is my change. I slip out the front door, tiptoe around towards the back of the house and peak my head around the corner. That's when I hear shouting. "Hey! Are you crazy? Who hunts right next to someone's house at the break of dawn?" Well my mother is brave, I'll give her that. Then again, screaming at a person who you know has a gun isn't very wise. Okay, here we go.

I jump out from behind the house and charge. I stop when I see who it is holding the gun. Oh come on, you can't be serious. Gabby is standing a few feet away from my mother and I. She's got a scary looking rifle in her hand, and she's dressed in camo clothes. What the hell? Gabby, of all people. I almost didn't recognize her, and probably wouldn't have were it not for her trademark nail polish. "Gabby?" Gabby looks over at me, only just noticing my presence. "Annie?" She looks me over, taking in my messy hair, pyjamas and the frying pan in my hand.

She bursts out laughing. I scowl. Excuse me for not stopping to dress up for the occasion. "Bitch," I grumble, only making her laugh even harder. My mother looks between Gabby and I, confusion etched into her face. Gabby eventually stops laughing and walks out from the forest, although she giggles a few more times. I roll my eyes, then introduce her to my mother. "Mom, this is Gabby. Gabby, this is Lisa, my mother," I say. Gabby's eyes nearly double in size. "Hey, you didn't tell me your mom is a teacher at school!" She stretches her hand out to my mother, who shakes it cautiously. "So, um, Gabby, do you always go around shooting things before school?"

Gabby smiles sheepishly. "I'm sorry Miss Platwurst. I had forgotten than you moved in. The house has been empty for a couple years now." Huh, I guess that makes sense. But seriously, Gabby with a gun? Remind me never to make her angry. Gabby looks at me again, trying her best to hide a smirk, and failing miserably. "You want to come inside?" I ask, making my mother give me a look that told me she didn't like the idea of having some trigger happy teenager sitting in her living room. "Sure," Gabby says, oblivious to my mother's discomfort, and follows me back to the house.

When we get to the front door I turn around. "Did you put that thing on safety?" I point at the gun. Gabby lifts the gun to put it on safety, and the barrel ends up being pointed right at me. I crouch down, sticking the frying pan out in front of me as if were a magic shield. "Gabby! Stop trying to kill me!" Gabby points the barrel down and rolls her eyes at my behavior. We walk inside. Gabby unzips her camo suit, her normal clothes underneath. She rests the gun next to the front door, then pulls her long blonde hair out from the tight bun she had tied it in earlier.

"Hey, my car is down the road. I can give you a ride to school if you want, my way of apologizing," Gabby says, looking at me apologetically. "Sure, just let me get dressed," I say, giving her an awkward smile. "Really? I thought you were already dressed," she says sarcastically. I roll my eyes and head upstairs. Oh, I brought the frying pan with me. Whatever. I get dressed, brush my hair, grab my bag and the frying pan, and head back downstairs. I go to the kitchen and put the pan in its usual spot, then return to the living room.

Gabby is sitting on the couch. My mother is glaring at her, making her fairly uncomfortable. Then she gives me a glare for inviting her inside, which I just roll my eyes at. "Hey Gabby, ready to go?" Gabby turns around and nods. She grabs her camo suit and her gun and we head out to her car. "Be safe!" My mother shouts. We both giggle at that, then keep walking. We come across Gabby's car in less than a minute. It's a silver Honda Civic, nothing too crazy on the outside, but for all I know she could have an arsenal hidden inside the glove compartment. I climb into the passenger seat, tossing my bag in the back seat. Gabby pops open the trunk and puts her gun and camo suit inside. I still can't picture her as a hunter, even after seeing it with my own eyes. She closes the trunk and walks around the car, climbing into the front seat. She starts up her car and we're off.

"You know, I never thought of you as someone who would be hunting turkeys right at the crack of dawn on a school day," I say, genuinely impressed. Gabby scoffs, "What do you think I do with my spare time? Do makeup tutorials on YouTube?" I think about it for a moment. That is pretty much what I expected. "Well… yeah, actually." She scowls at me, annoyed by the fact that I can't imagine her as a badass. We pull into the school parking lot, and Gabby nearly crashes the car three times in less than a minute just trying to find a parking space. When she finally stops the car I release my grip on the sides of my seat.

We step out of the car, grab our bags and head for school. "So, does anyone else know that your mom is a teacher here?" Ah, there it is. "Just Viv," I say, not really wanting to get into it right now. "It's not a big deal, Annie. No one cares if your mom is a teacher. You've already proven to everyone that you won't take shit from anybody." I smirk at that, feeling my ego inflate by the minute. "I still can't believe how illogical you are. You hear someone shooting outside your house, so you walk outside and, with a frying pan no less, attempt to charge the person with the gun!" She starts laughing at me again, to the point where there are tears in her eyes. Why do I get the feeling that she won't be letting me live that down for, well, ever.

I frown, not amused by the situation. I actually thought I was going to die! "You're such a shit, you know that?" She frowns. "Hey! Okay, I'm sorry, I'll stop." We walk inside and separate to go to our lockers.

I'm grabbing my books for my first classes when someone taps me on the shoulder. I turn around to see Viv smiling at me. "Hey Annie! How are you?" I smile, happy to see a friend who won't try to shoot me. "Okay for the most part, except that Gabby tried to kill me this morning," I say nonchalantly, getting a raised eyebrow in return. "What do you mean she tried to kill you?" I take a deep breath and explain what happened this morning. Viv almost falls to the floor with laughter, which is starting to get on my nerves. I don't like to be laughed at. "It's not funny! You should be in awe of my bravery!" I say dramatically, setting off a whole new wave of laughter.

Once she recovers, she pulls me in for a hug. We stay like that for a few seconds, awkwardly hugging and giggling in the hallway. Then I grab the rest of my books, close my locker and head to my first class of the day with Viv. "Oh, I almost forgot. How did it go with Chad yesterday?" I remember that she told me that she was going to break up with him. Viv looks down at the floor, not wanting to look me in the eye. "What's wrong? Did he say something to you? I can slap him if you want, since I'm pretty good at it apparently," I say, trying to get her looking more like herself. To my relief, Viv gives me a lopsided smile. "No, it's not that. It went about as well as it could have, I guess. Honestly, he didn't seem to care," she says, then out of nowhere she starts crying. No, don't cry! Shit, what is wrong with me? Of course she'd be upset about it, why did I ask?

I grab her by the hand and lead her to the bathroom. She starts sobbing uncontrollably. I pull her to me and hug her tightly, waiting for her to calm down enough for me to understand what she's blubbering. "Why? Why isn't he sad? I'm sad. Why doesn't anybody like me?" I pull back from her enough to make sure that she is looking at me before I speak. "Viv, don't ever think anything like that. You are an amazing person, Chad has no idea what he just lost, okay? And what about Gabby, Ty, Maria and me? We like you a lot! Cheer up," I say, awkwardly patting her on the head. Viv seems to feel better before long, her sobs from before just a sniffle or two. "Ugh, why do I cry so much. My mascara is ruined," Viv says. Yup, she's fine. "Yeah, you should probably get that checked out," I joke, earning a swat on the shoulder.

Ten minutes later, because Viv refused to leave the bathroom until she looked 'somewhat presentable', we leave the bathroom and head to class. We sit in our seats at the back of the room. About ten minutes in I lose interest, so I start making paper airplanes and throwing them at Viv. We start an all out war, even getting some of the people around us to join in. By the end of class there must be at least fifty planes scattered all over the floor. Everyone chips in by pushing them to the back corner of the room as stealthily as possible, since no one wanted to be in detention. The bell rings and everyone who took part in the paper plane battle rushes out of class as quickly as their legs would take them, exiting even before the students at the front of the room.

The rest of the morning would turn out to be uneventful, except for a few students whispering about my mother being a teacher at the school. Really, Gabby? No one seems bothered by it though, which proves that I am in fact paranoid. Eventually it's lunch, much to Viv's delight, who wouldn't shut up about being hungry all morning. We sit at our usual table, where Gabby is telling her side of the story of what happened this morning. "A frying pan? Are you serious?" Maria snorts, trying to imagine how ridiculous I must have looked. I look over to Ty, who is nothing but impressed. I give him a high-five. At least someone agrees that it isn't funny. "So is everyone here part of the reckless shooters club, or is that just Gabby?" Gabby pelts a French fry at me for that. "My dad's a hunter, but I'm not a big fan of it myself," Ty says.

Viv raises an eyebrow. "Oh, trying to avoid talking about your little 'incident', are you?" I look at her questioningly. "Here's what happened. Ty was about eight years old when his dad decided to teach him how to hunt. So his dad takes him out there and, long story short, Ty kills a rabbit. He cried about it for a week. He was traumatized." Viv chuckles. "I was not! I was eight, who teaches their kid to kill animals at the age of eight?" Ty says defensively. "My dad did, what's the big deal?" Gabby asks, somewhat offended. "My point exactly. You're crazy." Ty says. "Crazy? I'll show you crazy!" Gabby gets up from her seat and chases Ty, throwing food at him as he runs away. Maria, Viv and I just watch on in amusement. Viv gets up from the table. "I've got to go talk to the science teacher about next week's test," she says. I look at her in mock surprise, "Oh my god, you're a nerd!" I gasp.

Viv punches my arm, waves goodbye, then leaves, leaving just Maria and I at the table. "So why did you grab a frying pan?" Maria asks, not following my logic. "Because frying pans deflect bullets, duh," Maria bursts out laughing. "No they don't! Annie, how much tv do you watch?" I think about it. A lot, although I don't think I've watched any tv since I got here, which is pretty unusual for me. "It's a secret," I reply, refusing to give her a number she can use against me.

She rolls her eye, then her face becomes serious. "You been talking to that Cullen?" Okay seriously, what is her problem? How is that any of her business, anyway? "So what if I am? I'm not going to avoid her just because someone I don't even know claims that she's dangerous," I say, getting a scowl in response. Why even bring it up? We're having a fun time, then she just decides to pick a fight with me? "You're making a mistake, Annie," she says. Ooh, I'm so scared. "Yeah, whatever you say, Maria." I get up from the table and leave the cafeteria.

The rest of my school is uneventful, thank goodness. Gabby offered to give me a ride home from school, and apologized for this morning, since she really did feel bad about it.

I go outside to meet up with Gabby in the parking lot. I stop. I'm getting this feeling… I feel someone watching me. I scan the lot, but all I see are students walking to their cars. Then I see him. A boy around my age is standing all the way at the end of the lot, staring at me. He has bronze hair, he's very pale, and he looks… angry. Is he angry with me? No, that's not possible, we've never met. I stay where I am, watching him watch me. What does he want? The longer he stands there, the more uncomfortable I become. I want to look away from him, but for some reason I can't. "Hey, Annie! Sorry I'm late, I was getting chewed out by my history teacher. Guess who has a detention tomorrow. Me, that's who."

I jump in surprise, making Gabby smirk. She walks past me towards her car. I look back to the other end of the lot, but the boy is gone. What just happened? I follow Gabby to her car. He probably wasn't staring at me, I bet he was just waiting for someone. He looked furious. Man, I wouldn't want to be the person he was waiting for. Then again, he might not have been there at all, since I am apparently incapable of telling the difference between what's real and what isn't.

Gabby starts the car, pulling me out of my thoughts. We spend the car ride chatting about random things, although for the most part Gabby just fills me in on the gossip of people I don't even know. She drops me off at home, apologizes for this morning, pulls me into an awkward hug and drives away. I watch her car until it disappears, then go inside. I go up to my room and flop on my bed, mentally drained after yet another bizarre day. Is this seriously my life now?

I hear my phone ring. Fuck, it's probably Maddie. I just listen to it ring until I can't stand it anymore and answer it. "Hey Maddie," I say, expecting to get a scolding for not answering her texts. "Who's Maddie?" Wait, what? Bella? Oh, right! I told her she could call me. Stupid bad memory. "Hey, sorry Bella. I'm just tired, it's been a long day," I say, earning a chuckle from Bella. "Want to talk about it?" She sounds concerned, which is incredibly sweet. "Okay. Well this morning someone was shooting outside my house, which scared the crap out of my mom and I, since we thought someone was trying to kill us. So my master plan was to grab a frying pan and jump the person. Turns out it was just my friend Gabby, hunting a deer, or turkey, or something," I wait a moment for Bella's reaction. "You what?" She asks in a low voice.

She makes a sound. Was that a growl? "Are you crazy? You can't just go around attacking people with frying pans! Especially people with guns! What were you thinking? You could have been hurt! What the hell am I supposed to do if you get hurt, Annie?" Okay, definitely didn't expect that. She's upset, which makes me feel awful, but at the same time her concern for my safety (and sanity) is really touching. I can feel myself blushing, I must look red as a tomato right now. I don't think it's possible to be blushing any harder. "I need to see that you're okay. Can I come over?" Bella asks, making me blush ten times more. I guess I was wrong.

"Um… sure you can," I manage to squeak out. "Okay, I'll be there soo—" "Who's that?" I hear someone on the other end of the line. Funny, I could ask them the same question. "Hold one for one second, Annie," Bella says, followed by an argument of whispers, none of which I could make out. I hear Bella sigh, "My sister really wants to say hi to you, is that okay?" Whoa, her sister? Why does her sister want to talk to me? Should I say no? Is that even an option? "Oh, sure," I say, my mouth answering without my brain's permission. "Okay, here she is," Bella says reluctantly. I hear the phone being passed over to someone. "Hi there!" A girl shouts into the phone, taking me by surprise. "Um… hello," I reply. What's wrong with you? Stop being so awkward! "My name is Alice, what's yours?" Well, she certainly seems friendly. "Annie, Annie Stone," I say, much more confident this time. "Hi Annie! I can't wait to meet you, this is so exciting!" She shouts. Wait, what does she mean by 'meet her'?

I hear another whispering argument, then the phone gets passed again. "I'm so sorry, she promised she wouldn't be weird, but I shouldn't have trusted her. Anyway… can I still come over?" Bella asks, almost making me laugh out loud. As if I could say no. "Of course you can," I say, wanting to make it clear that she is welcome. "Great! I'll be there soon, okay?" I nod my head. Wait, she can't hear that. "Okay," I say, practically doing backflips. She hangs up the phone. I flop on my bed again, staring up at the ceiling.

Holy shit, she's coming over. Bella Cullen is coming over to my house.

 **A/N: Hey everyone! I'm sorry about taking so long with this chapter. The past few days have been SUPER busy. Thanks for reading/following/favoriting/reviewing. I really appreciate it. Fun fact: some frying pans CAN deflect bullets! (I looked it up) (DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME) Next update will be soon, thank you guys for being so awesome!**

 **:D**

 **P.S.: Diablo Blanc: I'll be introducing the rest of the fam soon, don't worry ;)**


	8. Nerves

Chapter 8: Nerves

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or its characters, just OCs and my fantastic plot twists.**

Okay, stay calm. What's the big deal? The most attractive person alive is on her way to your house. No pressure. I look at myself in the mirror. Fuck, I look terrible. My hair is all over the place, my clothes are all wrinkled and I look exhausted, which I was up until just now.

I grab my hairbrush and fix my hair as efficiently as possible, although in reality it isn't making much of a difference. Deciding that my hair's current state is as good as it's going to get, I run to my closet and rifle through my clothes for something decent.

I hear the doorbell ring. No, you can't be serious. Bella is here already? How is that even possible? I only got off the phone with her five minutes ago! "Shit," I mutter to myself, giving my reflection one last look. I try to smooth out as many wrinkles as possible, then head downstairs. As I walk to the door a familiar scent hits my nose, the intoxicating smell of Bella. Whoa, I haven't even opened the door yet and I feel light headed. Okay, don't do or say anything weird. I take a deep breath to calm my nerves, then open the door.

Standing in my doorway is the most magnificent being that ever lived. Her beautiful chestnut hair flowing down her back, her incredibly expressive eyes full of an emotion I can't place. As usual, she's wearing her color contacts. Does she ever take those things out? Before I get the chance to speak Bella roughly pulls me towards her, wrapping her arms around me in an embrace I hadn't anticipated. I stand there in shock as Bella hugs me, feeling as though my head's about to explode from a sensory overload. Her body is cold, but for some reason I feel warm. Her body is hard, yet I'm perfectly happy and comfortable in her arms. Her amazing smell is so strong, the mixture of coconut and mango waking me up from my earlier tiredness. This must be what heaven feels like.

I feel the perfectly sculpted arms around me begin to pull back. No way I'm going to let this end so soon. I wrap my arms around Bella, pulling her back to me. I feel her body mold to mine, and I can't help but think that we fit perfectly together. She sighs, her breath tickling my ear. "Hey," I say in a whisper. Bella doesn't say anything, instead squeezing me briefly in response. She lets me go, and I already miss the physical contact. She looks me up and down, then sighs in relief. "You're okay," she says, more to herself than to me. I laugh at her overly dramatic entrance. "I'm alive and well," I say, trying not to blush at Bella's concern for me. I take her hand, again shocked by how cold it is, and pull her inside the house, closing the door behind us.

Bella looks around for a few minutes, clearly lost in thought. "It's a lot nicer than when I lived here. Charlie only cared about the flatscreen and his chair. Cleaning has never been his strength," she says, smiling at the memory. That's the first time she's ever really spoken about Charlie. "Do you two stay in touch?" I really want to know why she stays with the Cullens, especially if she and Edward are separated. Unless… they aren't? No, don't go there. I can't help feeling jealous for a moment before I remind myself that there's no one to be jealous of. Why am I even jealous? I hardly know Bella. I don't have the right to be jealous. "Not so much. We talk on the phone once in awhile. Now that you mention it, I ought to call him soon. There's something I want to talk to him about." Huh.

Sometimes I wish that Bella wasn't so vague in her answers to my questions, but I suppose I'll just have to be patient. Bella looks around for another minute, then turns to me. "Can I see your room?" I feel myself blushing uncontrollably. Oh for fuck's sake, she didn't mean it like that! I see Bella shift uncomfortably, although I don't know why. "Um, sure," I squeak, Bella smirking in response. I roll my eyes and walk upstairs, leaving her to follow.

I open the door to my room and hop on my bed, watching Bella enter the room cautiously, as if the whole room could shatter into a million pieces at any moment. Her eyes scan the room curiously. She walks over to my desk, picking up picture frames to get a better look at the pictures inside. There's one of Maddie and I on the beach from two years ago. I don't think I've ever had as much fun at the beach as I did that day. I feel guilt wash over me for not having spoken to Maddie in so long. There's one of my mother and I from when I was seven years old at my older cousin's wedding, where I had to be the flower girl, which I really didn't want to be. I don't even remember why, I think I was just a rebellious child looking for something to complain about. I actually had a lot of fun that day. The last picture is one of my father and I before he died. I was only a few months old when that picture was taken. A part of me hates that picture because I know that I'll never get the chance to know my father, but I keep it up anyway. Bella continues to look at the pictures for what feels like hours, lost in thought again.

Eventually she places them back in their spot, then looks around the rest of the room. "This was my room," she says. Whoa, I sleep in the room Bella used to sleep in. That's… weird. "Really?" She nods her head. "I like your stuff. It really reflects your personality," she says, looking down at the floor. I feel myself blushing again, and Bella shifts uncomfortably again. She always seems to do that when I blush. Does my blushing make her uncomfortable? "You okay?" I ask. She looks at me sheepishly, then nods.

Bella walks over to my bed and sits down. She looks at me with a tiny smile on her face. She does this for a while, her eyes are so intense that it almost makes me want to look away, but they're so beautiful that I can't bring myself to do it. "So, what did you do today?" I awkwardly ask. Wow, is that really the best I can come up with? Bella giggles, making my smile grow wider. "Um… nothing," she says. "Okay really, I'm just trying to have a conversation with you, so 'nothing' is not a valid answer," I reply, not impressed with her vagueness. She rolls her eyes at me. "It's true! I've been lazy all day. I was mostly just counting down the minutes until I could talk to you," she says. Then she takes my hand and brings it up to her lips.

I feel her perfect lips kissing each knuckle, sending sparks all over my body. Geez, even her lips are cold. She holds onto my hand, rubbing circles with her thumb. She studies my hand, almost as if it were the world's most fascinating book. Wow, that was nerdy. I watch her as she concentrates, admiring how her eyes seem to light up with curiosity, her eyebrows furrowing in the most adorable way imaginable.

I take Bella's free hand and bring it to my lips, kissing each knuckle, enjoying the feeling of her cool skin against my lips. Bella shudders and looks up at me in surprise, making me chuckle. It's nice to know that I have an effect on her as well. "S-so, um, what did you do today? Well, other than the whole frying pan incident," she asks. What did I do today? Oh yeah, school. The creepy moment in the parking lot comes to mind. Why not tell her? Because she'll think that you were hallucinating. Yeah, but I'll tell her about it anyway.

"I just went to school, which was super boring. After school something weird happened in the parking lot. There was this guy standing all the way at the other end of the lot. He was staring at me. I turned around for a second and when I looked back he was gone," I explain, watching as Bella's eyes nearly double in size. "What guy?" Bella asks in a low voice, almost a growl. Shit, what did he look like again? Oh, right. "I don't know who it was, but he was fairly tall, messy, bronze color hair, he looks about our age, I think. It's hard to tell since he was so far away," I say, looking for a reaction from Bella. She frowns, her eyes full of recognition. Oh my god, does she know this guy? Does she realize what a creep he is? "Do you know who I'm talking about?" She begrudgingly nods her head. "Who is he?" I ask. Bella takes a deep breath and begins rubbing her temples. "Edward," she grumbles.

Wait, who's Edward? Why does that name sound familiar? Oh… Bella's ex husband. Oh, oh fuck. Holy shit, I have a stalker. But I haven't even done anything. Doesn't matter, you will die. He looked ready to kill me on the spot yesterday, and that was from thirty yards away. He's going to kill me, he's going to kill me, he's going to kill me.

Suddenly I feel strong arms wrap around me, the familiar scent of coconut and mango instantly calming my nerves. "It's okay," Bella whispers in my ear, her breath tickling my ear and sending shivers down my body. A good kind of shiver. "I won't let him anywhere near you. No one will ever take you from me." Whoa, did she really just say that? To me? I don't think I've ever heard something so nice from anyone I'm not related to. I don't know what to say to that, so I just squeeze her tightly in response.

We stay like that for a while, neither of us willing to let go. She's just so amazing that it's unreal. We sit there in silence, but it's a comfortable silence. I feel completely safe in her arms, all my worries having melted away, leaving nothing but bliss. As cheesy as it sounds, it's true.

Suddenly the front door swings open downstairs and I hear my mother shout, "Annie! I'm home! That gunslinger friend of yours better not be here." Damn, my mother has managed to ruin the best moment I have yet to have with Bella. I groan in frustration. I hear Bella giggle at my annoyance. "It's just me mom, no trigger happy lunatics to worry about," I shout back. Oh wait, Bella's in my house. I just told my mother that I'm alone. How am I supposed to explain that?

I turn to face Bella, who also looks annoyed that my mother spoiled the moment we were having. "I guess I should go," she says, then sighs. Then she gets up and walks over to the window. Wait, she isn't really thinking of jumping out the window, is she? "Whoa, Bella. That's a bit high for a jump, don't you think?" Bella raises an eyebrow at me. "Are you doubting my skills?" I roll my eyes. "I'm serious, Bella. Do you have any idea how guilty I would feel if you broke an arm, or a leg?" I ask. I know she's just kidding, but just the thought of Bella getting hurt in any way makes me feel sick to my stomach. Bella rolls her eyes at me.

She walks over to me, kisses me on the forehead and jumps out the window. Oh my god! I run to the window and look out. Bella is standing outside, an amused expression on her face. "You are such an ass," I say. That little shit thinks it's so funny to scare the crap out of me. "You know you love me," Bella says. Her eyes nearly double in size when she realizes what she just said. I just laugh at her awkwardness, making her scowl at me. "So can I expect a phone call from you tomorrow?" I ask hopefully. Bella grins, "Of course," she says enthusiastically.

She waves at me, then runs off. I wonder where she parked her car, since I didn't see it parked in our driveway when I answered the door. Then again, I was a bit distracted at the moment. My forehead still tingles from Bella's lips and I can't help but smile. I take a deep breath and sigh, happy that I got the chance to spend some time with Bella, but disappointed that it had to end so soon.

I close the window, leave my room and go downstairs to be with my mother. She's sitting on the couch watching tv, although I can't tell what she's watching from here. I plop down next to her on the couch. "What are we watching?" I ask, but my mother doesn't react, so I doubt she heard me. "American Ninja Warrior," she responds between mouthfuls of popcorn. I roll my eyes at her. "You only watch it because you like seeing the shirtless men with six-packs show off," I say. She smirks, but says nothing.

We watch American Ninja Warrior, then a few other shows before we finally go to bed. We each go to our separate rooms, too tired to even say goodnight to each other. I change into my pyjamas, brush my teeth and flop onto my bed. My phone buzzes. I try to ignore it, but I can't. I look at my phone to see that Bella sent me a message.

 **Goodnight Annie. I had a really nice time and I'll call you tomorrow. Sweet dreams.**

I couldn't hide the ridiculous grin plastered on my face after reading that message if I wanted to, and I don't. I send her a message.

 **Goodnight Bella. I'm glad you came over today. I'd say sweet dreams but I know your dreams will be about me, so I already know they will be. ;) Talk to you tomorrow.**

If only I were as confident in person as I was through text message. I put my phone in its place on my night stand and then pass out almost instantly, tired from the events of the day.

 **A/N: Hey guys! I know it's been a while, but I have a job at a summer camp, so not only am I exhausted when I get home, but it's really hard to get in the mood to write about a vampire romance when your days are spent dealing with 5 and 6 year olds. Anyways, thanks for reading and I'll update as soon as I can. :D**


	9. Circles

Chapter 9: Circles

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, Stephanie Meyer does.**

Beep. Beep. Beep.

What the hell is that?

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Shut up. Sleeping.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Not ready. Need sleep.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Oh for fuck's sake.

I swing my arm in the direction of my alarm clock, aimlessly slapping around to find the snooze button. I eventually manage to silence that horribly obnoxious sound, but it's too late. I'm awake.

I sit up, stretching my arms above my head and groaning. I'm way too tired to be productive today. I should just go back to sleep and try again tomorrow.

My phone rings, and I just stare at it for a few seconds. It's so early, who could possibly be calling me right now? I'm not ready for socialization yet. But it won't stop ringing. Ugh, fine. I pick up the phone.

"Hi Annie!" Ow, is screaming in my ear really necessary? Wait, I know that voice, but I can't say who it is exactly. "Hello…" I answer, hoping I can remember who it is I'm talking to before they realize that I don't know. That would be awkward. Then again, I don't have them in my contacts so it wouldn't really be my fault. I mean seriously, I'm not psychic.

"How are you?" The mystery person, who I have deduced to be a woman, asks. "I'm, uh, great. How are you?" More like who are you. "I'm fantastic! So, are we still on for bowling next week?" Wait, bowling? What is she talking about? "What?" The mystery woman chuckles. "Oh Annie, you can be so silly sometimes. We're going bowling next Tuesday, remember? My gosh, you are so forgetful in the morning," she chuckles again.

I agreed to go bowling? But I suck at bowling. Who convinced me to go bowling? Oh, oh man. It's Cindy. I'm going bowling on Tuesday with Cindy and her family. Oh, joy. Why would she be calling so early in the morning to confirm our plans? Does she ever sleep? "Um, yes, we're still on for bowling Cindy," I say.

"Okay, great! We'll pick you up at your place on Tuesday!" Fan-fucking-tastic. "Okay, goodbye Cindy." I end the call. It's way too early for this shit. Honestly, who does that?

I get up from my bed. Okay, I'm starting today with a long shower, since I only just woke up and I'm already stressed. I grab a change of clothes for the day and head to the bathroom.

Twenty minutes later I emerge from the bathroom, already feeling better and less stressed than before, although I do feel guilty for my excessive water usage. Me and my massive ecological footprint. I dry my hair as quickly as possible, since the shower took more time than I thought and I'm now running late. I grab my bag and run down the stairs, but on the second to last stair my shoelace comes loose and I trip over it, sending me face first into the floor.

 **WHAM!**

Ow, fucking ow. Motherfucking shit that hurt. I hear footsteps from the kitchen, followed by giggling, and finally laughter. Unbelievable. I could be dead right now, and instead of checking to see if I'm alright, my mother just laughs at me. Ow shit, I have a headache.

I sit up slowly, making sure that I don't injure myself further. I assess any pain in my body. Okay, my right wrist hurts from sticking it out in front of me to break my fall, and my head hurts like a bitch. Otherwise, I'm just peachy.

My mother grabs my hands and pulls me up from the floor. Ow, that hurt my wrist a bit. Ah, it's fine. Don't be such a whiner. "You okay?" My mother asks between chuckles, and I barely manage to keep from rolling my eyes at her.

"Never been better," I deadpan. Shit, I need some Advil or something. I dust myself off and go to the kitchen in search of any kind of medication for headaches. I find some Advil and take it with water. This shit better work fast. Man, I swear a lot more when I'm grumpy.

My mother walks into the kitchen, finally done laughing at my clumsiness. A look of concern appears on her face. What, did I lose a tooth? Oh my god, am I going to have to get a fake tooth? I don't want to become plastic! "Whoa, you must have bumped your head fairly hard, I can see a bump forming already," my mother says, looking more worried by the second. Well, at least I still have all of my teeth.

She brings a hand up to my forehead, lightly brushing her fingers over the area where I hit my head. It stings, and I flinch. My mother looks at me apologetically and pulls her hand away. "I'm okay, mom. I took some Advil, I'll be good as new by tomorrow," I say, not wanting to worry her any more than necessary. What's there to worry about? Sure, I feel slightly lightheaded, and I probably have a lump the size of a baseball sticking out of my head, but I'm fine.

"Are you sure? You're looking a little bit fuzzy, love," she says. "You should see a doctor, I'm calling the hospital," she grabs the phone and I take it from her before she can dial the number. "Whoa mom, I don't need to go to the hospital. I'll be fine. If you're really worried, schedule a regular doctor's appointment, but you can't go dialling 911 every time I get bruised or scratched, otherwise they'll be convinced that you're batshit crazy." My mother gives me a sceptical look, then sighs. "Fine, but we're setting up an appointment for sure, because you always downplay your injuries when you get hurt. You might have a concussion, and I'm not taking any chances."

I nod my head resignedly. I probably don't have a concussion, but I guess it wouldn't hurt to get checked out just in case. "Okay, I have to go mom. I'm going to be late for school if we don't leave right now," I say, then head for the door. "Are you sure you can't stay for breakfast? It's not that big of a deal if you're late," my mother says. That's rich, coming from a teacher. The whole point of me leaving right now is to be there on time, so no I can't stop for breakfast. "No thanks mom, I'll be waiting in the car," I call before hastily making my way to the car. Things would be much simpler if I had a car of my own, but now is definitely not the time to bring it up.

My mother appears a moment later with all of her things, still looking somewhat worried. Seriously? I agreed to go see a doctor, didn't I? My mother climbs into the car and we're off. We pull into the parking lot and I all but dive out the window to get away from my mother's pestering questions about my health, speedily making my way into the school.

I run into Tyler on my way to Vivian's locker, and we talk briefly before going our separate ways, not feeling the need to have a lengthy conversation. He doesn't even bring up the huge lump on my forehead, even though I know that he can see it. We're similar in that neither of us are big on talking about everything. As much as I enjoy listening to Viv rambling on about just about everything there is to talk about, sometimes I like spending time with people who you can communicate with without speaking. Anyways, where was I going? Oh, right, Viv's locker.

I walk to Vivian's locker. She's grabbing her books from her locker when I get there. She doesn't notice me, so I sneak up behind her whisper in her ear. "Here's Johnny!" Viv jumps in surprise, turning to face me with a hand clutching at her chest, the other hand dropping the books she was holding.

"You fucking asshole!" She shouts, punching me in the shoulder. I burst out laughing, clutching my sides to keep from falling over. About a minute later, I finally stop laughing at Viv, who still looks absolutely livid. "You know I'm going to get you back for that," she grumbles.

Then she notices the baseball sticking out of my head. "What the hell happened to you?" She asks, raising an eyebrow at me. Darn. "I fell down my stairs this morning," I mumble.

Viv laughs at me, which is ironic considering that the roles have reversed in less than five minutes. I roll my eyes, pick up the books she dropped on the floor and toss them at her. We continue to tease each other until the bell rings and we head off to our first class of the day, science. I used to like science, but then they started to incorporate math formulas, so I checked out then and there.

The whole morning turns out to be uneventful, much to the surprise of almost no one. I'm in the cafeteria, going into detail about how exactly I grew a second brain to Ty and Viv when Gabby appears.

"Hey Annie, some guy is standing outside the building. He's asking for you," she says. What does she mean? What guy? I don't know any guys. Well, except for Tyler, but he's sitting right next to me, so that's not an option. "What guy?" I ask, hoping that a physical description might help jog my memory. "I don't know him, but he's fairly tall, super pale and had messy brown hair," she replies.

That description is incredibly vague, basically describing half of the guys in the town. Of course, I shouldn't expect much more from Gabby, since she's not the most observant person in the world. Well I guess I should go find out what this guy wants. "I'll be right back," I say to Viv and Ty before getting up and heading outside.

When I exit the building, I look around. I don't see anybody around. Is Gabby messing with me? Nah, she'd put a little more effort into it than just sending me outside for no reason.

I hear someone snicker behind me, and when I turn around I'm face to face with one creepy looking dude. Wait, this guy looks familiar. Is this the same guy I saw yesterday, in the parking lot? "Hello Annie," the creep says. Wait, how the fuck does this guy know my name? He smirks, and begins walking around me in circles, which sets my teeth on edge. "Do I know you?" I ask, even though I know who he is. This must be Edward Cullen, Bella's ex.

"Yes, I am Edward Cullen, and no, we haven't officially met yet" he says. Whoa, how did he do that? That is super creepy. "So Annie, I've noticed that you've been spending a fair amount of time with my wife," he says. Wow, this creep still thinks that they're together? Not a chance. "You know, I don't appreciate being called a creep," he growls.

It's scary that he's practically reading my mind, and the fact that he's circling around me like an animal circles its prey is making me nervous. "Look, I don't know what you want from me, but if you think you can just show up and expect me to stay away from Bella, then you're wrong," I say, and I mean every word of it. I've only just started getting to know Bella, and I won't let some jealous creep stand in my way. Edward growls, slowly stepping towards me, as if he was about to pounce on me.

Out of nowhere something crashes into Edward, sending him flying through the air. He crashes into a nearby tree, knocking it down in the process. Before I can blink the unknown entity slams into him again, sending him flying into the forest. I hear Edward growl, then he disappears into thin air. I don't know how it's possible that he can just walk away from something like that. I fell down my stairs and I needed a few moments to recover, yet somehow Edward just up and left, not that I have a problem with that.

The being that saved me is gone as well, so fast that I never even saw what it was.

What the fuck just happened?

My phone rings in my pocket, waking me up from my daze. It's Bella calling. "Hello," I say, relieved to know that Bella is there with me, at least in some way. Wow that was cheesy. "Annie? Are you okay? Did that fucker hurt you?"

Wait, how does she know that Edward was just here? "Yes, I'm okay Bella. How did you know Edward was here?" There's a brief pause on the other end of the line. "Don't move, I'm coming to get you right now," Bella says assertively, then hangs up, leaving no room for me to argue. Not that I would. I don't fail to notice that she never answered my question. I'll try asking her about it later.

Doing as Bella asked, I sit on the curb and wait for Bella to arrive. I don't have to wait for long, since Bella pulls into the lot less than five minutes later, driving an incredibly expensive car. A bright red sports car. I don't know the first thing about cars, but I can tell that it's a really nice car.

Bella pulls up to the curb and exits the vehicle, rushing towards me. I can't help but smile, since I'm incredibly excited to see her. It feels like forever since we last spoke, even though I saw her just yesterday.

She pulls me in for a hug, wrapping her arms around me and squeezing me tight. I immediately relax, feeling much better now that Bella is here. The familiar scent of coconut and mango fills my nose, and I nuzzle into her hair, wanting to get as much Bella as possible, as weird as that sounds.

Bella pulls back slightly, to look me over and make sure that I'm okay. She sees the bump on my forehead and I see the worry in her eyes turn to fury so quickly that it's as if someone flipped a switch. "That bastard hit you? I swear to god I'm going to fucking murder that piece of shit. He'll pay for this with his life," she growls, looking angrier than I ever imagined possible.

As scary as it is, I feel nothing but safe and flattered by her outburst. Although I should probably mention that Edward never actually hit me. I turn Bella's face back to me. "Whoa, slow down Bella. Edward never touched me, I don't know how, and I'll explain that later, but this bump is just the result of my clumsiness. I fell down my stairs this morning," I say, smiling at Bella reassuringly.

She looks horrified by the fact that I fell down my stairs and I'm smiling about it. "You fell down your stairs? And hit your head? Are you okay? Are you sure you don't have a concussion? How can you possibly be happy about this?" She asks, since during her rant I started chuckling. "I'm not laughing at that, you goof. I'm laughing at you. You're looking at me like somebody just died. I'm right here Bella, it's okay," I say, grabbing her hand and entwining her fingers with mine. "You know, you're the first person I've told that hasn't laughed at me for it, so thank you for that," I add. My friends are huge assholes. Then again, so am I, that's why they're my friends.

Bella sighs. "Well I'm glad you're okay," she says, pulling me back into her arms. I gladly accept the hug, again nuzzling into her hair. We stay like that for a little while, just holding each other contently. The urge to just pull Bella in for a kiss is almost overwhelming, but I somehow manage to restrain myself.

Eventually Bella pulls back, but she keeps a firm grip on my hand. "Come on, you're coming over to my house for a while," she says, again leaving me no say in the matter. Not that I would say no, but I'm realizing that she can be quite bossy at times. I nod my head and Bella drags me over to her fancy ass car, opening the passenger door for me. I thank her and slide into the car as smoothly as possible, not wanting to make the bump on my head any bigger.

She speedily makes her way to the driver's side and climbs in, starting up the car and pulling out of the parking lot at a record-breaking speed.

That's when I feel my stomach drop. I'm going to Bella's house for the first time.

Holy shit.

 **A/N: Hey guys! Thanks for reading! And thank you for all the positive feedback, it really means a lot to me. I'm doing my best to update as often as I can, it's just a bit hectic right now. Anyways, you guys are awesome and I'll update again soon!**

 **P.s.: to the user 'Debbie Hicks' : please stop trolling, you're wasting my time and yours.**


	10. Confessions

Chapter 10: Confessions

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or its characters, just my stuff.**

I'm sitting in Bella's car, and I feel like my head could explode at any moment from the number of thoughts going through my head at once. Edward, someone I don't even know, was going to attack me. Something saved me. What was that thing? What would have happened if whatever it was hadn't intervened? Would I be dead? What if that didn't really happen, and I'm just dreaming right now? I like the way Bella's car smells, since it mostly just smells like Bella. Whoa, focus. Speaking of Bella, how did she know what had happened? How did she get to school so fast?

I pull myself out of my thoughts and into the present, only to realize that I had been staring intensely at Bella the whole time I was thinking. I can't help but notice that Bella is driving way above the speed limit, judging from how everything outside the window is zipping by in the blink of an eye. Normally I would be freaking out about it, but for some reason I'm not fazed by it. I can see Bella's knowing smirk, and any hope that she hadn't noticed me staring is immediately squashed. Bella turns to look at me, and instead of turning away she just stays in that position, watching me intently.

My surroundings seem to just fade around me and all that's left is Bella, watching me with fascination, as I do the same. I take the time to admire the goddess before me, from the flawless waves of her chestnut hair, to the perfectly shaped eyebrows adorning her face, to the incredibly adorable nose, to the unimaginably alluring lips that I desperately long to have against my own, to the well defined jawline. Then I admire the rest of her body, or as much as I can, given that she is sitting in the driver's seat of a car. Wait, Bella is driving the car. She isn't watching the road.

I snap out of my daze just in time to see a station wagon coming around the corner, moments away from crashing into us. "Bella, look out!" I shout, clamping my eyes shut and bracing myself for impact. The car swerves. This is it. This is how I'm going to die. I wait for the sound of metal crashing into metal, the sudden whiplash, the release of the airbags, but it never comes.

I open my eyes. We're pulled over on the side of the road. The station wagon is nowhere to be seen. Holy shit, that was too close. I look over to Bella, who is staring out through the windshield. "Bella, what's wrong? Are you hurt?" I unbuckle my seatbelt and reach over to Bella, turning her to face me. I see nothing but guilt in her eyes. "I'm so sorry, I can't believe how stupid I am. Are you okay?" Her expression turns into one of panic, and she grabs my hands, examining them with the intensity of a surgeon, then checks the rest of me for injuries.

Bella asks me about any pain or injuries. Honestly, my neck is a bit sore from whiplash, but I don't want her to overreact, so I tell her I'm fine. She looks at me apologetically. "I'm so sorry, Annie. I almost got you killed because I let myself get distracted." She looks down at the ground, angry with herself. As scary as that was, it wasn't Bella's fault. This attitude has to go. "Bella, look at me," I demand and, to my surprise, she does as I ask. "That was not your fault. If anything, I should have been more aware, but that's not the point. You can't predict everything in life, accidents will happen anyway. Besides, nothing actually happened. I'm okay, you're okay, the people in the other car are okay. There is nothing to be sorry for, alright?"

Bella still doesn't seem convinced. This would be so much easier if I was good with words. "What got you distracted, anyways?" I ask. Bella's eyes grow wide, and she drums her fingers on the steering wheel. "I, um… well, you," she mumbles, so quietly that I almost didn't hear her. But I did. Bella finds me distracting. I must be grinning like an idiot right now. Bella gives me a small, shy smile.

That smile must be the most adorable thing I have ever seen in my life, and I can feel myself grinning from ear to ear. I haven't seen much of Bella's shy side, and I'm flattered by the idea that I have that effect on her. I feel myself blushing, my body once again reacting without my brain's permission. Bella gets fidgety again. I'm about ninety percent sure that these two things are connected. Or I'm insane. Or both. Bella sticks her head out of the car window and inhales deeply through her nose, and just like that, most of her discomfort disappears. What, do I smell bad or something?

"Let's keep going," Bella says, then pulls back onto the road. We drive for a few minutes in silence, eventually taking a dirt road that leads to the forest. Their house must be tucked away from others if it's in the forest.

We pull up to a huge, modern looking house and I feel my jaw dropping. Holy cow, this place must cost a fortune! And it's so secluded. It looks like something a superstar would buy to get away from reporters. I hear Bella's musical laugh, and turn to look at her again for the first time since we pulled back onto the road. She's smiling at me amusedly, and just that smile makes me feel like I can't breathe. Then I notice that my mouth is hanging open, and I quickly clamp my jaw shut, nearly biting off my tongue in the process. Bella gets out of the car and hastily walks over to the passenger side door to open it for me. She takes my hand in her cool one and gently pulls me out of the car, pulling me along towards the house. I feel excited, nervous and anxious all at the same time, and I can't really explain why.

Bella opens the door for me and gestures for me to enter. I take a few tentative steps inside, soaking in my surroundings. The house is very open, with giant windows on all sides, white walls covered with interesting works of art. Is that one made from graduation caps? The furniture is expensive looking, so much so that I have to keep my distance from it, since with my luck it would probably catch fire just by me touching it. I feel strange, almost like I'm somewhere I shouldn't be, even though I was invited. The house is immaculately kept, looking like something directly out of a magazine, worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Well, maybe not that much, but worth a lot nonetheless.

"What do you think?" Bella whispers into my ear, sending shivers down my spine. I hadn't even noticed her appear next to me, making her stealthiness seem almost unreal, like she was teleporting or something. "It's so… modern, open. This is so cool," I blurt out, not really sure of what I'm saying. Well, a compliment is a compliment, I guess. Bella giggles, then grabs me by the hand, leading me to a nearby staircase. "I want to show you my favorite part," she says, pulling me along.

We walk through the second floor and I feel my jaw go slack at the sight of the kitchen. It looks so huge, and even though I can't cook I wish I had a kitchen like that. Before I get the chance to have a closer look, Bella tugs on my hand, leading me on rather impatiently. I chuckle at her eagerness, curious about where she's dragging me off to.

We stop in front of a sliding glass door, Bella opening it for me and gesturing for me to go through. I thank her for her courteousness, noticing that it is a habit of hers, and walk out onto a balcony overlooking the forest. The balcony has a fantastic view of the forest, and I find peace in listening to the sounds it makes, from the rustling of trees, to the chirping of birds, to the rushing water of the nearby stream. I take in a deep breath, the crisp air helping to clear my mind of questions and worries, and I find myself relaxing.

I hear a whoosh of air, and Bella materializes next to me. How does she do that? She seems anxious about something, judging by the way she's tapping her foot and staring at a tree in the distance. "So, um… what do you think?" Bella asks, finally facing me instead of that stupid tree that had captivated her attention for several seconds. Wow, I'm jealous of trees now. That's just fantastic.

Back to Bella's question. Wait, what do I think of what? Is she nervous that I'm not impressed with this view? How could I not be! "This is amazing! You can see so much from up here! It's so peaceful up here, just experiencing the forest from the comfort of the balcony. It's beautiful," I say confidently, earning a chuckle for my enthusiasm. "I'm glad you like it as much as I do," she says. "My siblings don't really get why I like it up here so much. I mean, they enjoy nature too, but they get bored just watching it. They go crazy after a while," Bella says with a laugh. "How many siblings do you have?" I ask, since up to now I've only heard about Alice, the fast talker.

Bella smiles fondly, clearly happy to have the family that she has. "I have four siblings. My sister Alice, who you briefly spoke to. She can be overly hyper, but she means well. My other sister Rosalie is hard to approach, but she's fiercely loyal. Then there's my brother Emmett, better known as the friendly giant. And finally my brother Jasper. He's a lot more subdued than others, but even he can't stand still for too long, ironically…" she answers.

Wow, that must be nice. I can't imagine what it would be like to have a sibling. I mean, I've heard the horror stories, but even arguing with someone is better than just being by yourself, in my opinion. It's always just been my mother and I, and it could get lonely when she had to work. Not that she wasn't around, she just had to be able to provide for both of us, so I spent many evenings with my neighbor's teenage daughter babysitting me. She didn't care much for me, nor I for her, so I would just occupy myself in my room. The closest thing to a sibling that I have is Maddie, but that's different. You can't choose siblings, you're stuck with them. Or not, it depends on the family I guess. I feel a pang of guilt at the mention of my best friend's name, but for some reason I can't seem to find the energy or the courage to contact her. I miss her terribly, but long distance is not something I've ever been good at. I know that it's just an excuse, but I don't know what else to say. I'm not a perfect person.

I feel a tap on the shoulder. "Hey, what are you thinking about?" Bella asks, curious about why I had grown silent. "I was just imagining what it would be like to have a sibling," I admit, not seeing the point in fibbing. Bella watches me thoughtfully, her gold eyes looking right through me. "Anybody would be lucky to have you as a sibling," she says simply. Whatever that means. "Thanks," I say, taking any compliment I can get.

We stare out at the forest in silence, comfortable with just being together in the same space. Eventually, somehow, I get bored. Well, distracted would be more accurate. It's hard to concentrate when there's an angel standing three feet away from you. Bella seems focused on the forest, so I figure she won't notice if I slip a little closer. Not turning my head away from the view, I subtly take a tentative step to the left, sliding down the railing. Bella doesn't notice, so I take another step closer. Before long we're standing right next to each other, but Bella is still lost in her own little world. I decide to catch her off guard. I lean in next to her right ear and whisper, "Boo!"

Bella jumps back at an amazing speed, almost knocking me to the ground. I start laughing like a madwoman, while Bella just glares at me for scaring the shit out of her. Normally the intensity of her gaze would have me on the verge of fainting, but now it just makes everything even funnier. After a few minutes of laughing and catching my breath, Bella leans against the railing with her arms crossed in front of her, an eyebrow raised. She really does not like to be taken by surprise. Which is ironic, since she seems to enjoy sneaking up on me. "Aw, come on Bella, it was funny!" Bella shaked her head. She's mad, which is really scary but really attractive at the same time. "I'm sorry, okay?" She still doesn't look pleased, but she seems somewhat convinced that apology was sincere. I add a mock pout, and Bella smiles, rolling her eyes at my guilt trip. "There she is," I joke, earning me a swat on the shoulder.

Everything goes quiet then. I gaze at Bella, and she just stares back at me. I feel happy. I feel happy just looking at the angel standing across from me, quiet and unmoving, almost as if time has stopped for just a few seconds for me to appreciate what I see before me.

Before I even realize it, my feet are carrying me towards Bella, wanting to close the distance between us. I stop about a foot away, my eyes never leaving hers. She looks deep into my eyes for a long time, as if she were looking for something. For once I don't feel the urge to look away, too absorbed by the golden honey orbs that I admire so much. I've only known this person for a few days, but when I look into her eyes I feel as if we've known each other for decades. I feel… free. Bella takes a step forward and brings her hand to my cheek, stroking it with featherlight fingers. Her skin is as cool as it always seems to be, not that I mind, I find it quite soothing really. Hesitantly, I bring my hand up to her cheek, softly touching the flawless and cool skin. I don't dare put too much pressure, because I'm afraid that if I do she'll turn to dust, blowing away in the wind. Not to say that she's fragile, I just don't want this moment to end. I know what I want. I want to kiss Bella. I want to mold her lips to mine and express my every thought and feeling about her without words, because words are not enough. I lean in slowly, and Bella does the same. Our faces are only inches apart now, and I close my eyes-

"Wait," Bella says, pulling away from me. Oh God, what have I done? I've misinterpreted everything. She doesn't want what I want. I've taken advantage of her friendship. "Oh my gosh Bella I'm-"

Bella raises her hand to stop me from continue. "No, I need you to listen. I want this Annie, of that I have no doubt. But before we go any further I have to tell you the truth about me, because I don't want you to trust me based on a lie."

What? What does she mean? "What are you talking about, Bella?" Bella smiles nervously, as if she expects me to bolt for the door at any moment. "Before I tell you, I need you to promise to hear me out. I know how this is going to sound, but I need you to understand, okay? After I tell you, you can do what you want, you can turn around and never come back. I just need you to know everything. Okay?"

What is it that she wants me to know? I feel very nervous about what she might be about to say. Of course, it could just be something minor like, I don't know… like she hates the color blue or something. But it could be very serious. She could be a murderer.

Bella is waiting for me to respond, and I nod my head dumbly. She takes a deep breath, then looks into my eyes. Okay, here we go.

"I'm a vampire."

 **A/N: I'M BAAAAAACK! Such a tease, right? I know it's been a long time, and I apologize. I've just had the craziest month ever. Also, working at a summer camp is mentally draining, so it can be hard to find inspiration. I'll be updating more often now, so stay tuned! Thank you for reading, and for all the super positive feedback, I really appreciate it! Cheers! :D**


	11. Answers

Chapter 11: Answers

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, Stephanie Meyer does.**

 _"I'm a vampire."_

What? "Bella, what are you talking about?" I ask, not too pleased at the interruption. All I can think about is the urge to touch Bella, to the point where it's driving me nuts, only for her to stop to tell me that she's a vampire. She sure can pick her moment to tell a joke. "I'm a vampire." Bella repeats, sounding a lot more… confident. She seems to be taking this joke awful seriously. This is ridiculous. "Bella, this isn't funny," I say. "I like a good joke as much as the next person, but I don't get this one."

Bella flinches at that, and sighs. "No, I'm being serious Annie. I can prove it!" Okay, so that's how it's going to be? Fine, two can play at this game. "Oh really? Where's your cape? I don't remember seeing your coffin during our tour of the house, unless of course it's invisible. Can you turn into a bat? Because I would _love_ to see that." I snap, my voice dripping with sarcasm. Bella rolls her eyes, letting out an exasperated breath. "Okay, I know how it sounds, but just hear me out. I'm not exactly normal, am I? I'm extremely pale, my skin is freezing and my eyes are gold, right?"

I sigh, nodding in response. Let's just see where this goes. "Haven't you wondered why that is?" She asks, raising an eyebrow when I don't respond right away. Honestly, I don't know what to say to that, except for the logical answer. "Lots of people have pale skin, it's usually cool outside which makes your skin cool and you are wearing color contacts. You are not a vampire, and I want you to stop screwing around right now." I reply, pointing a finger at her for emphasis. The authority in my voice takes us both by surprise, but Bella quickly recovers, refusing to bend to my will. "You're not listening to me, Annie. Look I'm going to prove it to you, but I need you to promise that you won't run away screaming." Bella says, with a completely straight face. Ooh, I'm so scared. I look up to the sky, silently pleading for a bolt of lightning to strike me so that I don't have to listen to anymore of this nonsense.

"Fine, I will not run away screaming." I retort, but when I look over to where Bella is standing, she isn't there anymore. Whoa, where did she go? I feel a tap on the shoulder, and I turn around expecting to find Bella, but again she isn't there. What the hell? How is she doing this? I mean, I'm not the most observant person in the world, but I should still be able to see someone basically dancing circles around me. "How could a human move so quickly, Annie?" Bella's angelic voice calls to me, but I can't pinpoint where the voice is coming from, since I'm alone on the balcony. I feel another tap on the shoulder, and when I turn to face Bella she's not standing behind me, but sitting up in a tree at least twenty feet away. Which… isn't possible. She couldn't be that far away on solid ground, nevermind launch herself twenty feet through the air and seat herself in a tree all before I turn around.

I feel a chill run down my spine. I don't like not knowing, and I have no idea what's happening. I shake my head violently, telling myself over and over that there is a rational explanation, that this isn't real, that I'm dreaming. "You're not a vampire, Bella," I say, more to myself than to her. She sighs, then leaps from the tree to the balcony, just in one stride. Holy shit. She dusts herself off, more for show than anything else, and takes my hand, pulling me slowly into the house. Too stunned by this sensory overload, I blindly follow her inside.

We stop in front of the sofa sitting across from the flat screen TV, and Bella lets my hand go. She walks around behind it. "If I were human, would I be able to do this?" She asks rhetorically, then proceeds to lift the couch above her head, using only one hand. What is happening? People don't just lift couches one-handed. Even moving people work in pairs when moving couches, and moving furniture is how they make a living! Okay, maybe the couch is really light? That could be possible. Maybe Bella's on steroids. Bella puts the couch back down. "How about we try something a little heavier?" She's smirking now, clearly trying to show off, and it was definitely working. She's also scaring me a bit. Okay, a lot.

She grabs me by the wrist and tugs me along, to what I can only assume is the garage. While normally my heart would be doing backflips at the contact, my mind is working overtime to process what I've just seen. We enter the garage, and my eyes nearly double in size. In the garage there are a bunch of cars. A bunch of very expensive looking cars. There's a black Mercedes, a red BMW convertible, a silver Volvo, a yellow Porsche and a red Jeep. Bella's red Ferrari isn't here, I think it's still parked out front. Bella turns to me and grins almost… wickedly. "I think I ought to park my car in the garage with the rest," she says, then proceeds to drag me back outside. Oh hell no. There is no way that she can lift that car.

Bella walks over to the car, then makes a show of stretching out her arms. She's acting like this is all a big game, but it's not. She may not realize it, but she's playing with my sanity. She winks at me, then proceeds to lift her car above her head, with one hand. This doesn't make sense. I must be dreaming right now. She casually walks to the garage, carrying the Ferrari with her. She hardly seems strained. Bella places her car down in the garage, then proceeds to stride over to me, a swagger in her step. She stops in front of me, placing her hands on her hips. "So, still think I'm human?" Bella asks, finding my dumbstruck reaction quite amusing.

I don't know what's happening. I don't like this. I feel… light-headed. My knees buckle, and I feel myself falling, but just before I hit the ground strong arms circle me, holding me in place. My surroundings turn into a giant blur, and everything slowly turns to black. As I slip into unconsciousness I hear the smooth voice of an angel call my name, but I can't fight the darkness that envelops me, and then, nothing.

Pain. I feel pain, in my head. Ow, fuck this hurts. My head is pounding with an intensity I've never experienced. This is worse than a hangover. I open my eyes slowly, not wanting to go blind from too much light coming in at once. I open my eyes and I see an unfamiliar ceiling. Where am I?

I sit up, looking at my surroundings. White walls, expensive furniture, lots of windows. I must still be at Bella's house. Why am I lying on the couch? Why am I here at all? Then it all comes back to me in a tsunami of information, making the pounding in my head even louder. Bella can lift vehicles, is impossibly fast… she's a… vampire? I lie back down, deciding that I need a moment to think about this. Why am I lying on Bella's couch? I watched Bella lift the car, then she was saying something to me, and then nothing. Did I pass out? I must have. That's never happened before. Where is Bella?

I sit up, looking to see if anyone is around and listening for any movement in the house. I hear footsteps, from the next room, I think. I hear two people. A voice I don't recognize speaks, "Why did you tell her?" the voice asks, a woman. Then the angelic voice I know to be Bella's answers, "Because I know she's my mate. How could I not tell her?" What does she mean by 'she's my mate'? What is that? "You know, that's what Edward said about you, once," the woman points out. There's a momentary silence, followed by a sigh. "I'm not like Edward, Rose. I would never do something like this unless I was sure. I would never do to Annie what Edward did to me." Bella says, her mind made up. I can't help but wonder just what Edward did to Bella. I can't bear the idea of Bella feeling hurt. I still don't know what to think about this whole… vampire thing.

Not wanting to intrude on their conversation any longer, I decide that it's about time for me to 'wake up'. I stand up from the couch, to announce that I am awake. Before I've even taken two steps forward I feel a pair of cold hands on my shoulders. "Holy shit!" I shout, jumping in fright. Where did they even come from? I never even heard them coming! I turn around and face a giant of a man, with the same pale skin and gold eyes as Bella, smiling down at me. This must be one of Bella's siblings. The one she calls 'the friendly giant'. What did she say his name was? Emery? No, Emmett. Yeah, that's it.

Something I hadn't yet considered dawns on me then. Emmett is a vampire. There's a giant vampire standing 3 feet away from me. Oh shit. Oh shit, shit, shit. I'm going to die. I can't outrun this guy, and clearly he's stronger than I am. There's no way I can make it out of here alive. Emmett, seeing the panic showing on my face, puts his hands up in front of him and takes a step back. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. I just wanted to check if you were okay," the giant says, looking at me as if he was a puppy I had just kicked. "You're a vampire?" I ask, although I don't really know why, since I already know the answer. "Yes," he answers, eyeing me curiously. He reminds me of a child, despite his enormous size.

"Are you going to kill me?" I ask, figuring I should just cut to the chase. "No," he answers, "I know that Bella didn't really get the chance to explain this part to you… our family is a family of vampires, but we're not like most." I'm not sure if I should believe what he says, but I'll hear what he has to say, for now. "How so?" I ask. He pauses, thinking about his answer. "Well, our family is what you might call vegetarian," he replies. "Vegetarian?" What exactly is a vegetarian vampire?

Emmett nods his head eagerly, "Yeah, we don't kill people, although most vampires do. We hunt animals instead," he says. He seems to be very proud of this fact. Okay, so they don't kill people. I'm not in as much danger as I thought, then. "Why not?" Emmett seems surprised by this question, but I think it's a pretty important question. If most vampires kill people, then why would these people go out of their way to hunt animals? "Because it's wrong to kill people. Especially since we were people, once…" Emmett looks past me now, lost in an old memory.

I have so many questions. People can become vampires? Vampires don't have to kill people to survive? "So you hunt animals, but are you still tempted to kill humans?" I ask, wanting to know how much danger I'm in right now. He may not _want_ to hurt me, but he might just get overwhelmed and give in to temptation. I mean, I tried being vegetarian once, and I barely lasted a week. Why am I relating to vampires? "Sometimes, but we've got years of experience controlling ourselves. I barely notice the burn anymore," Emmett tells me.

"What do you mean, what burn?" I ask. He sighs, "When we're hungry, we get a burning sensation in our throats, and it gets more and more intense until we feed." That sounds really unpleasant. "Are you hungry now?" I ask. He smirks, "Nope. Just feasted on an eight point buck," he proudly declares. Geez, between the vampires and the gunslingers, the deer living nearby don't stand a chance.

I feel my head begin to hurt again. This is a lot for me to process, and I feel like if I learn anything else I might pass out again. I need to leave, now. But I can't, Bella drove me here. "Hey Emmett, where's Bella?" I ask, trying to keep my voice as neutral as possible, even though I can feel the panic rising up inside of me again. Emmett chuckles, "Ohhh, Bella? Someone's got priorities," then he winks at me. Seriously? Then Emmett shouts, "Hey guys, Annie's awake!"

Six people enter the room, Bella among them. There are now seven pairs of gold eyes staring at me, all with different expressions. Some look curious, like Emmett. Some look quite open and inviting, like the girl with short spiky hair. One, a girl with long, blonde hair, looks angry. I feel the panic rising a lot quicker now. There are seven vampires here. What if they aren't as controlled as they think? I notice one of them, a guy with blonde hair, is looking at me differently than the rest. He looks like he's in pain. His throat must be burning. Shit, he's hungry. "I need to leave, now," I say, putting my survival ahead of my lack of manners.

Bella steps forwards, "Hey, slow down, you just woke up. You don't have to go right away-" "I need to leave, now!" I snap. I can feel my heart rate increasing, which is not good. The blonde guy almost looks ready to pounce. The vampires on either side of him put a hand on his shoulder, trying to keep him calm. I back away, feeling more and more claustrophobic by the second. "I want to go home. I need to go home, Bella," I practically beg. "Okay, we're leaving," she says. We walk outside quickly.

Bella grabs my hand, and I pull mine back. I don't want to be touched right now. Especially not by someone who could kill me at any second. Bella frowns at that, and silently walks to the garage to get the car. I don't like the idea of being in a closed space with Bella, but I don't know where I am, so I can't make my way home on my own. The rational part of my brain is telling me that Bella has had several opportunities to kill me, but hasn't. I should be more trusting than I'm being, but I'm scared right now. I need time to process this, but until then I need to put as much distance between myself and this house as possible.

Bella pulls the car around, and I quickly hop in the back seat, opting to put some distance between Bella. The frown on Bella's face deepens, making me feel guilty. Bella pulls away from the house, and I look behind me. Seven vampires stare right back at me through one of the many windows. I feel bad about my poor behavior. I'll apologize once I've had the chance to digest all of this. Bella looks so sad, sitting the front seat. I feel awful for being the cause of her sadness. Someone as beautiful as Bella should never be sad. I do feel that I need to apologize to her. "Bella, I'm really sorry. I just don't know what's going on right now, and I get panicky when I don't get what's going on. Please don't take any of this personally," I plead. I know it's not much, but there's not much I can do right now. Bella nods half-heartedly, "It's okay," is all she says.

The next ten minutes are spent in silence, and when we pull up to my house I quickly hop out, muttering a quick 'goodbye' on my way out. I practically sprint through the front door, not even looking back to Bella. I can't bear to look at her right now. I hear her pull out of the driveway,, and I walk inside. I have a lot to think about, and there are decisions to be made. I have no idea where to start.

 **A/N: Hello everyone! Not much to say… I hope you like the story so far! I'll post the next chapter soon. :D**


	12. Bowling

Chapter 12: Bowling

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or its characters.**

Today is Tuesday. I haven't spoken to Bella since that crazy day I learned that vampires exist. That was four days ago. Four long, empty days of thinking. I think I finally have a grasp on what is and isn't reality, but now that I know what Bella is, I have so many questions. I've also missed her terribly, which is strange considering that we only met a week ago. I feel this strong urge to be near her, an urge I can hardly understand and I can't afford to think about it right now, or else I'll be miserable. I think I'm ready to see her again. I'll call her after school, ask her to meet me. I miss her presence, her smile, her—

"Annie?"

I jump slightly, annoyed at the intrusion. My mother looks at me with concern, her eyebrows knit together. "Yes, mom?" I answer, having tuned out what she was saying. I think I lost her at 'marking sheets'. My mother rolls her eyes, knowing full well that I don't really give a shit about what she's saying. "You never listen to me, which is bad because I'm your mother _and_ your teacher. You seem tired. You ought to be sleeping more, otherwise you'll drop dead before the year is out," she grumbles, "and I'll make them write 'world's worst teacher's pet' on your tombstone," she finishes. I burst out laughing, although in reality her joke wasn't even that funny. I guess I just like to laugh. Especially since I haven't had a good laugh since last week.

Surprisingly, my mother never asked about how I got home on Friday, or why I was so late. I hadn't told her anything, I hadn't shown up when she got to the car and I wasn't home until the evening. I suppose she thought I was out with my friends, and chose to let me have my fun.

All of a sudden I get that feeling in the back of my mind: I'm forgetting something. What I'm forgetting, I have no idea. "Hey mom, I feel like I'm forgetting something. Do we have plans or anything like that?" My mother smirks, "Well I don't have plans, but you certainly do," she says, holding back her laughter. What's up with her? "What plans?" My mother says nothing, then starts a drum roll, trying to make it 'dramatic'. Ugh, she's worse than I am. Well, not really. "You're going bowlingggg!" She announces. Oh. Bowling, with Cindy and her family. That actually doesn't sound so bad, now that I've had a few days without Cindy showing up unannounced. I guess meeting up with Bella will have to wait until tomorrow. I sigh at that, feeling disappointed that I won't get to see her today.

My mother pats me on the shoulder, thinking my sudden mood swing is because I dread my near future, but I'm not dreading my evening with the Rykes family. I can feel the frustration building up inside of me. My own mother can't be bothered to get to know Cindy for who she really is, a happy, warm and loving person. I can't understand that. I would be honored to have Cindy as a friend, although to be honest we have very little in common, and she can sometimes be exhausting. I take a deep breath. Don't snap at her, don't let your anger get the better of you. "Oh well," I say, not wanting to make a big deal out of it. Yelling at my mother wouldn't do me any good.

My mother cleans up her breakfast plate then sits back at the table, sipping on her coffee. She looks at me thoughtfully, then brightens up, as if she had just had the epiphany of the century. "You know, I think it's about time that you got your own vehicle," she says, raising an eyebrow at me. No way! I've been practically begging her since I got my license, and she always tells me to get a job and buy one myself. "Are you serious?!" She nods her head enthusiastically, pleased that I like the idea. Why wouldn't I? "Okay, well we'll talk about it later, we've got to get going," my mother says, putting away her coffee mug and grabbing her bag. I grab my own bag from the back of the chair I had just been sitting on, and wait for her by the door. We walk out together to the car, and drive to school.

On the way there I get sucked back into my thoughts, which switch between seeing Bella again, my evening of bowling and the prospect of having my own car. When we pull into the parking lot my friends are out front, waiting for me. I feel really lucky today, having a mom who is always happy to see me and spoil me once in awhile, having found friends that I like even more every day, and, hopefully, having Bella in my life, whatever she is.

I hop out of the car, saying goodbye to my mother on the way out. I jog over to where my friends are gathered, waiting patiently for me. "Hey guys!" I slip into the 'circle' next to Viv, who wraps an arm over my shoulders, pulling me into her. "Hey Maple," she says, laughing when I roll my eyes at her. Maple, because I'm from Canada. Hilarious. "You're not funny," I inform her, only making her laugh even more.

We all walk inside together, talking until the bell for homeroom rings, each of us splitting off in different directions, Viv and I going together. I still can't believe my luck, having my closest friend here in all of my classes. Homeroom is spent making jokes about anything and everything. There were lots of puns, really bad ones too. Like 'decimals have a point', which is just terrible. The whole morning is basically the same, which just proves what a lazy student I am. Fortunately, I'm an overachiever.

During second period I feel someone's eyes on me, and I turn to find Maria, glaring at me. I ignore her, trying to preserve my good mood, because I would love to have one day without us arguing. Surprisingly, no one else notices the tension between the two of us. I like it better that way, just keeping it between the people involved. Lunch rolls around, and I'm making my way to the cafeteria with Viv when someone grabs me by the shoulder, spinning me around. Maria.

Oh joy. She looks to Viv, who stopped when she realized I wasn't walking with her anymore, "Hey Viv, mind if I borrow Annie for a sec?" Viv shrugs, tells me she'll be waiting in the caf, and keeps walking. Well, shit. Maria walks me to the girl's bathroom, making sure we're alone before turning to face me. "How many times do I have to tell you to stay away from those _Cullens_ ," she spits out, as if saying their name physically pained her. I'm getting so fucking tired of this shit. "Maria, I don't care how many times you tell me they're dangerous, they aren't!" I say, my voice raising with every word. She sighs, "You don't understand, Bella. You don't know what they are," she says. I sigh then, because neither of us can ever seem to get past this point when we argue, but I have to convince her anyway. "I _do_ know what they are, Maria. They told me the truth, I know everything. They're vampires. I understand why you think they're dangerous, but they aren't."

Maria's eyes nearly double in size at realization that I know what's really going on. "How stupid are you, Annie? If you know, then don't you see why that's a problem? Can't you see that I'm just trying to help you, that I don't want to see you get hurt or killed?" She asks, frustrated with my lack of self preservation. I feel guilty then. She just doesn't want to see me get hurt, but I just keep fighting her. I sigh, looking down at the floor below her feet. "Look Maria, the Cullens are being upfront with me. I'm not being deceived, I already know that they're vampires. But you know as well as I do that they hunt animals, not people. I'm sorry that this is so difficult for you to understand. I just want us to be friends, not fighting about the same thing over and over. Can we please talk about something else?" I beg, looking up into her eyes.

She looks conflicted but, but sighs resignedly. "Okay," she says. I smile, crossing the space between us to wrap her in a hug. She laughs, then hugs me back. We pull apart, then I sit on the counter in between two sinks, and Maria does the same. I had thought that she hated me, but she was just looking out for me, and now I hope that we can really be friends, really get to know each other. But before that, I have questions I want the answers to. "Okay, but first: you said a Quileute friend of yours told you what the Cullens are, but how do the Quileute people know what they are?" Maria isn't at all surprised by my question. "Honestly, I don't really know. Seth never told me. I'm not even supposed to know as much as I do, so I try not to pry too much," she says.

Huh. "Okay, second question: How did you know that I'm still in contact with the Cullens?" I ask. I hadn't told anyone else about the Cullens, and I've never been anywhere public with Bella. "I didn't actually know, I just know that you're stubborn, so I just guessed," she answers. I guess I am easy to read, after all. I want to know just how much Maria knows about vampires, but I think we've both had our fill for the day. "Ready for lunch?" I ask, finally realizing that I'm starving. Maria laughs, then nods. We hop down from the counter, and I wrap my arm around her shoulders, walking out with her to the cafeteria. We sit at our table, and I feel a weight that had been on my shoulders being lifted. It feels good to have gained a friend, especially one who knows everything, someone I can confide in about Bella.

The rest of the school day flies by, and before long I'm hoping in the car with my mother to head home and prepare for what should be a pretty fun evening of bowling. We pull up to the driveway and I hop out, quickly going to change since the Rykes will be here any minute.

On my way back downstairs, the doorbell rings. I knew it. I walk over and open the door. Cindy flies towards me, and I get tackled to the ground, knocking my head on the floor. Ow. "Hi Annie!" She screams in my ear. I'm starting to wonder why I was looking forward to this. Cindy stands up, pulling me up with her. She runs over to my mother, clapping her hands excitedly, and proceeds to talk her ears off. I turn to Mr. Rykes. "Hi Michael," I say, laughing at his embarrassed expression. "You can call me Mike, Annie," he says, patting me on the shoulder. I nod, then turn to Lily and Lucy. "Hi girls!" I say. Lily smiles and runs up to me, wrapping her arms around my waist. "Hi Annie! We're going bowling!" Aww, kids are so cute. "I know!" I bend down and make a show of whispering in her ear, "I'm not very good at bowling, so I'm going to need you on my team, and we'll show your mom and dad who's boss," I say. Lily giggles, "Yeah!" She bounces up and down.

I look over to Lucy, and immediately regret it. She looks furious, her eyes so angry I want to crawl into a hole of darkness just to escape her glare. "Hey kiddo," I say, giving her a friendly smile. She doesn't budge. Oh well, I tried.

Lily pulls on my pant leg, and I look over at her again. "Do you still have my picture?" She asks hopefully. Picture? Oh, her drawing! "Of course I do, kiddo. Look, I'll show you," I say grabbing her by the hand and leading her to the kitchen. I lift her up so that she can get a better look at the drawing she gave me: the one where she drew her family and mine together. I made sure to put it right in the center of the fridge, just to give it some importance. I'm actually quite fond of that drawing. The only major inaccuracy is that her sister is smiling, which is definitely not possible when I'm around, apparently. I put Lily down and bring her back to the front door, deciding it's time to save my mother from Cindy.

I tap Cindy on the shoulder, and she turns around, clapping like a seal again. "I'm ready when you are," I say. My mother visibly relaxes, and I have to hold my breath to not burst out laughing. Cindy beams at me, "Great! Let's get going! Bye Lisa," she says, grabbing me by the arm and dragging me out of the house, her family trailing behind her. She drags me over to her family's vehicle, a blue minivan, tossing me into the passenger seat. "Careful dear, I doubt that Annie wants to try bowling with a broken arm," Mike jokes, cringing at the way she tossed me like a ragdoll. My chances of survival would drop dramatically if I were left alone with Cindy for more than five minutes. She could probably hug me to death.

I glance into the rearview mirror, making eye contact with Lucy, who's practically steaming from the ears. I never imagined that getting 'the look' from a little girl would make me so nervous. I look over to Cindy as she pulls out of the driveway. She seems completely oblivious to her daughter's hatred of me. She could kill me in my sleep. I face the front, trying to clear these thoughts away. We're going bowling. Bowling is fun. Lily is on your team. Lily doesn't hate you, or plan your assassination. Bowling is fun. Bowling is fun.

We arrive at the bowling alley about fifteen minutes later in good spirits, the somewhat tense car ride seemingly forgotten. Cindy runs in ahead of us to rent out two lanes and shoes for everyone. I find myself walking next to Lucy. Uh oh. I smile at her again, getting an indifferent look in response. She doesn't look pleased, but she doesn't seem nearly as angry as she did a few minutes ago, so I'll take that as an improvement.

We walk into the bowling alley, and I can't help but smile at the fact that all bowling alleys really are the same. The same carpeting, lighting, worn down shoes, TVs to display the scores, everything. I feel a little more at home here, even if I've never been here before.

I hear seal clapping, and I follow the sound towards Cindy, who is carrying five pairs of bowling shoes by herself. I jog over, taking three of the pairs off of her hands. She grins at me, "Aww, thanks Annie! Come on, we're in lanes five and six," she says, leading the way. We sit down on the benches, tying up our bowling shoes. Lily is having trouble tying hers, her tongue sticking out of her mouth while she stares with intense concentration, making me laugh. We divide the teams, Mike and Cindy against the kids and I.

I wasn't kidding when I told Lily I'm a bad bowler. I don't think I've gotten a strike in my whole life. Hopefully the girls are good, or don't mind losing at least. Something tells me that Lucy is very competitive, which does not bode well for me. Our team starts, Lily bowling first. Thankfully Cindy asked for the kid sized bowling balls, because Lily couldn't lift the regular sized ball for her life. She rolls the ball, hitting six pins. We all applaud, and Lily turns around, taking a bow. She definitely inherited her mother's personality.

Cindy and I sit next to each other on the benches, watching everyone take their turns. "So are you any good at bowling, Cindy?" I ask, making her cringe. What did I say? Cindy, correctly reading my expression of confusion, responds, "The name Cindy makes me feel old." I almost crack a 'you're so old' joke, but that would be too mean. I guess I need to think of a nickname. I'm not very good at nicknames. "Oh, well… what about… Ceecee?" I ask. Cindy thinks about it, then shakes her head. "Close, but not quite." Hmm, this is tricky. "Okay…" It needs to be reflective of her personality, happy and fun. I've got it. "Cinnamon," I say.

Cindy's whole face lights up. "I love it! Ooh, I have to think of one for you too!" Yikes, this will be interesting. Cindy, a.k.a. Cinnamon, looks at a random spot on the floor, deep in thought. Clearly she takes this very seriously, which is actually quite funny. Then her face turns into the exact same one as her daughter when she was tying her shoelaces, making me laugh again. "Annie, it's your turn!" Lily shouts. Aww shit. Okay, here goes nothing.

I grab a bowling ball and approach the lane. I bring my arm back, then send it forward, letting go of the ball. I watch it roll, veering off to the side, aaaand it's a gutter ball. Saw that coming. I hear laughter behind me. I turn around to find myself being laughed at by the whole family… including Lucy. Lucy is laughing in my presence. I must have hit my head pretty hard earlier to be seeing this right now. I mock pout, even though I'm not upset in the least, and sit back down.

Lily hugs my arm, "Don't be sad, Annie! Look at my super awesome cartwheel!" She exclaims. She backs up, preparing to perform her trick. "Lily, you know the rule: no cartwheels indoors," Mike says, much to Lily's annoyance. "But daaaaaad," she whines, "I want to show her my trick!" I laugh at her eagerness. "It's okay Lily, you can show me later," I say. She thinks about what I said, then nods her approval.

"Hey Cinnamon, you're up," I say, making Cindy giggle. She leans over to me and whispers, "You're going down, Bubbles," then gets up to bowl. Bubbles, huh? I have no clue about how she came up with that, but I guess it could have been worse. I've also just realized that Cindy has a competitive side to her. She steps up to the lane, rolls her ball and lands a perfect strike. Damn, I just got smoked.

She confidently struts back to her seat, high-fiving Mike on the way. Lucy bowls and misses, becoming more frustrated every time. I notice a few improvements that could be made in her form. As terrible as I am at the execution of bowling, I've got a pretty good grasp on the theory behind it. I cautiously walk over, preparing to have my head bitten off at any moment. "Hey Lucy, could I show you a trick? It'll help you get more points," I mumble, nearly shaking when she turns to me.

She looks between me and her ball, then nods wordlessly. Okay, this is good. I grab a second ball, showing her how to better position her shot. She tries again, hitting nine pins. She smiles and turns to me. "Thank you," she says. Holy shit, I can't believe she's being nice to me. I nod, then return to my spot, thoroughly satisfied with myself.

The rest of the night is full of good natured competition, and in the end our team lost. Cindy didn't let the girls feel bad about losing, but she did enjoy teasing me about it on the ride home. She really is a cocky competitor. "I bet you're wishing you had me on your team, huh Bubbles?" She brags, raising her eyebrows suggestively. I roll my eyes for the twentieth time, waiting for her to get it all out of her system. "Oh please, we both know that the only reason you guys won is because of Mike," I say. In reality they were both pros, but there's no way I'm going to admit that. Mike puffs up his chest, happy to accept the praise, and a chuckle.

We pull into my driveway and I hop out of the car. The girls hop out and follow me to the front door, each one grabbing an arm to pull on. "Goodnight, kiddos," I say, ruffling the hair on their heads. "Goodnight Bubbles!" Lily says, and I now know that this ridiculous nickname will be permanent. "Goodnight Annie," Lucy says, smiling and waving before dragging her sister back to the car. Mike pats me on the back, thanking me for coming along, then goes back to the car.

 **"Piggy back ride!"** I barely have time to register that sentence before Cindy jumps on my back, tightly wrapping her arms around my neck, effectively choking me to death. "Cindy, get off!" I shout, not having the energy to carry a grown woman around on my back. I mean seriously, I just spent the entire evening with this madwoman, and yet she somehow has the energy to jump around like a child. Cindy slides off my back, then hops in front of me, clapping her hands excitedly. "We should make dinner plans again! Ooh we could make ice cream! Or go swimming! Or watch TV!"

Oh come on, she wants to talk about this now? Also, I wish I could see how her brain works, because I don't understand her thought process half of the time. How could we go swimming at their house? "Sure thing, Cindy. I'd give you my number, but you already have it, so just call me anytime." I say, hoping she'll just go so that I can get some sleep. It's like she sucks up my energy for herself, which would explain why she's always hyper and I'm always tired when we part company.

Cindy claps excitedly again, then pulls me in for a bone-crushing hug. "Okay, I'll call you soon! Goodnight Bubbles!" She giggles at the nickname, clearly pleased with her choice. "Okay, just don't call me in the middle of the night unless it's an emergency. Goodnight Cinnamon," I say, completely serious about the call thing. I need my sleep. Cindy nods, hopping over to the car. She pulls out of the driveway, waves, and drives away. Oh thank god.

I open the front door, closing it shut behind me before sagging against it. Bowling is harder than I remember it being. My mother looks over from her seat on the couch. "So how was it?" She asks, clearly amused by my tiredness. "Fine. Tired. Sleep. Goodnight," I say, no longer feeling the motivation to use full sentences. My mother just laughs, bids me goodnight, then goes back to watching her soap opera.

I walk upstairs and flop on my bed, ready to go straight to sleep, even though it's only… 10 p.m. I usually stay up until much later, but ever since moving here the amount of drama in my life has forced me to get more sleep than I would be getting otherwise. My eyelids feel heavy, but just before I fall asleep, I think about Bella. I should ask her to meet me tomorrow, and not just assume she'll show up.

I sit up, pulling my phone out of my pocket. I already feel bad about not contacting her at all since last week, but I really needed time to adjust. I call her number.

 _Ri-_ "Hello?"

She picks up immediately. She was waiting for me to call. I feel like someone just punched a hole in my stomach, the guilt building up so quickly. "Hey Bella," I say, not really sure how she'll react to my call. "I'm so sorry I didn't call sooner, but I just needed time to adjust to this whole 'vampire' thing. Forgive me?" I ask, not failing to notice how it wasn't very long ago where the roles were reversed.

"Of course, I understand Annie. I'm just happy to hear your voice," Bella says, and even though she meant it as a compliment I cringe, feeling even worse about going off the grid. "I really want to see you, would you meet me tomorrow? I've missed you," I admit, earning a light-hearted giggle from Bella. "I'd love that. How about I come over when you get home from school?" She offers, making me smile. I'm just happy she wants to see me. "That sounds good," I say, trying my best to stifle a yawn. "You sound tired," she says. Busted. "Yeah, well, It's been a long, weird day," I say. No shit, Sherlock. "I'll tell you about it tomorrow," I add.

There are so many things I want to talk to her about. I want to talk to her about my intense feelings, about all the questions I have about vampires, and about regular stuff like my day. Which is weird, because I've never really felt like talking to someone as much as I want to talk to Bella. "Sounds good, Annie. Get some sleep, we wouldn't want you falling asleep on me tomorrow, now would we?" She jokes, bringing me back to the present.

I smile at that, and sigh. "Okay, well I guess I'll see you tomorrow. Goodnight Bella," I say, yawning again. Stupid brain, making me too tired to hold a conversation. Bella chuckles, "Goodnight Annie," she says warmly, then hangs up. I feel disappointed by how short that conversation was, but I put my phone on the bedside cabinet, kick off my shoes and crawl under the covers of my bed, too lazy to change into some more comfortable clothing than jeans and a tee-shirt. Immediately I feel myself drifting off to sleep.

Well, there's always tomorrow.

 **A/N: Hi readers! Sorry about the minimal Annie/Bella in this chapter, but I'll make it up to you in the next one, promise! BTW I know that some of you guys are annoyed with some the high school drama, but Annie is in high school, so… (o.0) Anyways I'll update before too long. :D**


	13. Other Half

Chapter 13: Other half

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of its contents/characters.**

 **A/N: Guess who's back?! I know I've been MIA recently(6 months apparently), but things will be getting back to normal soon. I decided to change things up a bit in this chapter, I hope you enjoy...**

 **Bella's POV**

I've been careless. Well, carefree would be more accurate. I was just so excited to finally meet my mate, I forgot about how she would react. I should have known better. Being able to show off to Annie made me feel powerful. I should have been gentler about it, and my timing was horrible. Why did I choose the moment my lips were about to taste Annie's to tell her what I am. I mean, I know why, but why? Nevermind the fact that she was already frazzled because of Edward's appearance.

Edward. Even just the sound of his name makes me growl. Thank goodness Alice had her vision and intervened, otherwise he would have attacked her. He was going to attack my mate. I will kill him. But first, I need to set things right with my darling mate.

I wish she would speak to me. To know that she is afraid of me feels like a knife being twisted in my heart. I don't blame her. How could she ever love me? What fool falls in love with a monster? Ironically I did, when I was still human. I thought I was his mate, like he said I was. I guess he thought so too, but if he was really my mate, he would have stayed.

Edward always blamed me for it. How can you love someone who blames you for the death of your own child?

Renesme died a few years ago. She only lived for two years. When she was born, it was wonderful. She was wonderful. We were wonderful.

Before long she was aging, growing faster than she should have been. By the time she was two months old she looked like a nine year old girl.

We thought that it would stop, that once her body grew to a certain age she would cease, and spend the rest of her life as an immortal, like us. But it never stopped. On her first birthday she had the body of a fifty year old. I watched her grow old. I watched the process of life as if it were on fast forward.

Edward and I loved Renesme every day, but every night we wept in despair while she slept, knowing that every day that passed was another day lost. On her second birthday she could barely walk, barely stand. She died two months later, and a part of me died with her. Edward became angry, distant, cold. It was no one's fault that she died, but he needed someone to blame, so he blamed me.

One day he lost his temper and tried to kill me, the hatred in his heart having become too much to bear. The others protected me, Alice, Jasper, Emmett, Rosalie, Esme. Even Carlisle defended me, the man who loved Edward like his own son. Then Edward left, and I haven't seen or heard from him since.

I stayed with the Cullens, and became a part of the family. We were about to leave Forks, since people were becoming suspicious of the fact that we don't seem to age, when I heard that another family was moving into my dad's old house. I was curious, so I went to investigate. I just wanted to make sure it would be left in good hands, since my father had moved out to live with Sue. By the time I arrived at the house it was nightfall, which meant that the family was probably asleep already.

I saw a light coming from my old bedroom, then a figure appeared in the window. I looked into the eyes of the most breathtakingly beautiful woman I have ever seen, and my knees nearly buckled. If there was ever a moment for my dead heart to start beating again, it was now. She held my gaze for a few moments, although I'm not sure if she could see me or not, then she turned away, turned out the light and went to bed.

In that moment I was hit by a wave of emotions, emotions I had never felt before, not even for Edward. I had found my mate. I ran back to the Cullen mansion and told them of my revelation. I begged them to stay, and they accepted with very little argument, except from Rosalie of course.

How does he even know about Annie? He never could read my thoughts, but perhaps he read someone else's thoughts, another member of the family. I don't understand why he is so angry with me still. He's had years to come to terms with Renesme's death, as I have. Perhaps I could have forgiven him for lying to me, making me fall in love with him, trying to kill me, but attacking my mate is an act of war, a war I intend to win.

I could call her. No, I shouldn't. She hasn't called for a reason. She's not ready. Besides, it has only been a few days, which feels like less to vampires. Except the past few days have felt like decades. I've mostly just paced around the house, much to Rosalie's annoyance.

The timing is awful, I only met Annie a week ago, and yet somehow I've already dropped the bomb about me being a vampire. I mean, I took it fairly well when I found out about Edward, but that was after a longer period of time, and I kind of found out on my own. Hell, the situation is so different, mainly because this is real, Annie actually is my mate. I won't compare her with Edward anymore, because although I know very little about her, Annie is so much better.

I look around the room, my room, absentmindedly. This actually used to be Edward's room, oddly enough. Alice offered to trade rooms, but I told her no. I didn't mind claiming this room as my own. It was actually a comfort in some ways, like a constant in my life, and afterlife. I changed, my life changed, my future changed, but after it all this room was still standing. I've added a bed, even though I don't have much use for it. Right now I'm sitting on it, staring at the phone, waiting for something to happen. The longer I sit, the more agitated I become. He tried to attack her. He's a godless bastard, loyal to no one but himself. I'll kill him.

WHAM!

My fist punctures a hole in the wall with ease, the plaster crumbling to dust. That felt good.

That felt very good.

CRACK!BANG!WHAP!

I let loose my anger, destroying the only thing of his that I have left. I had already burned all his books, destroyed his CDs, his piano. I wish I had saved the piano for this occasion, but I guess the room itself will have to do. As my fists make contact with the wall, a feeling of satisfaction and triumph rises within me. This feeling won't last, but no matter. My rather childish outburst only lasts for a few seconds, but by the time I stop there are fifty holes in the wall.

I hear a knock on the door. "Come in," I say, mildly annoyed by the intrusion. Emmett slips in, gently closing the door behind him. "Whatcha doin?" He asks, raising an eyebrow at the mess I created. "I'm making improvements," I happen to think the wall looks much better now. "Why?" Emmett asks, amused by my uncharacteristically violent outburst more than anything else. I smile wickedly at him. "Because it's not my room anymore." Emmett frowns, "Then whose is it?"

I smile to myself. Alice.

Of course, I'm using my shield to prevent Alice from seeing the future. The shielding against Alice's visions is a trick I learned a few years back, and it tends to come in handy.

I clear my throat. "Alice?" I call, knowing full well that she can hear me perfectly from the living room. There are still a few human habits that I just haven't broken yet. The others often humor me and copy my actions. "What?" She calls back. "I'm taking you up on your offer." There's a moment of silence. "What offer?" She asks. "To switch rooms," I say, as if it were obvious. Emmett stifles a giggle. "Are you serious?" She asks.

Emmett and I zip downstairs, joining Alice and Jasper on the couch. "Yup," I say. My hope is to trade rooms without her realizing the mess she's in for. It's doable, but I can't give it away. Of course Emmett's the one acting suspicious. He's grinning like a madman! "No way Bella! That was a one time offer, honey!"

Jasper looks between Emmett and I suspiciously. Damn, he knows something's up. "Jasper, you don't mind switching, right?" I ask, batting my eyelashes. He rolls his eyes, "Honestly, it doesn't bother me," he shrugs. Alice smacks him on the arm. "Are you insane? Ours is bigger! I need the closet space, you only own like three outfits, including the one you're already wearing," she shoots back, earning a whispered "oh snap" from Emmett. "I know, I know. But I've decided I don't want to be in there anymore, not after what he tried to do to my mate."

I may not be lying, but I am absolutely shameless. Alice's face falls a bit, but she doesn't look convinced. "I'll let you keep the closet space," I add, hoping that sweetening the deal would help. Alice rolls her eyes. Yes! "Okay. But you're swapping the furniture." Perfect. "Deal," I agree. "Come on Emmett, you're helping." Emmett crosses his arms, "Am not!"

I lean towards him, whispering "you're just as guilty as I am now, so play along." He rolls his eyes. "Fine, but when she tries to claw your eyes out, you're on your own." Alice looks over at us. "Why would I try to claw your eyes out?" Emmett and I exchange glances. "No reason," I answer, right before zipping back upstairs with Emmett, leaving a very confused Alice behind.

Closing the door behind us, Emmett turns to me. "So, what's your big plan? You know that as soon as she sees that you trashed the place she'll want to switch back, right?" I laugh. "I know that, Emmett. I want her to see it, it's going to be hilarious. But we need to try to cover it up somehow, even if it's pretty obvious. I know, I've got some band posters we can take to the wall. First we'll switch the furniture, then put up the posters." Emmett rolls his eyes, picks up my bed with one hand, sarcastically grumbling "nice plan, she'll never think to take down the posters".

We take our time, but even then it only takes five minutes. Still not used to my speed. Emmett and I stare at the wall, now covered in posters. "This is a stupid plan. Your ideas are really lame, Bella." I shoot him a dirty look. "We want her to find it, remember? Besides, I don't see you coming up with anything better." Emmett smirks, "touché".

I enter my new room. I walk the perimeter a few times, get a feel for it. I like having more space. I'm probably going to miss having so many windows, though.

While punches holes in walls and screwing with Alice is always fun, I can no longer distract myself from the hole deep in my chest. I miss Annie.

I pull my phone out my pocket, hoping that I somehow missed a message. As if.

I stare at the phone mindlessly for a while, thinking about Annie, about what I want to say to her, about all of the questions she must have for me, about her hypnotic eyes, her warm, flawless skin, her—

The phone buzzes, taking me by surprise. That must be her! Thank goodness! I pick up the phone. "Hello?"

There's a slight pause. "Hey Bella," the voice of my dreams calls. Another pause. "I'm so sorry I didn't call sooner, but I just needed time to adjust to this whole 'vampire' thing. Forgive me?"

Me, forgive her? There's nothing to forgive. I'm so relieved that she called.

"Of course, I understand Annie. I'm just happy to hear your voice." I say honestly.

"I really want to see you, would you meet me tomorrow? I've missed you" Annie says. I'm so happy I would probably cry tears of joy if I could. I can't help but giggle, which is not something I often do. "I'd love that. How about I come over when you get home from school?" I'd rather just go over there right now, but I guess tomorrow will have to do.

"That sounds good," Annie says. I hear a poorly hidden yawn. "You sound tired," it's cute that she tried to hide that. "Yeah, well it's been a long, weird day," she remarks. "I'll tell you about it tomorrow," she adds. "Sounds good, Annie. Get some sleep, we wouldn't want you falling asleep on me tomorrow, now would we?" I joke, although that would make talking more difficult.

Annie sighs, "Okay, well I guess I'll see you tomorrow. Goodnight Bella," she yawns again. Even the sound of her yawn is adorable to me. I laugh, "Goodnight, Annie," I say, then force myself to hang up. Keeping her up any later would not be beneficial for anybody.

I feel heady after speaking to my mate for the first time in what feels like eternity. My thoughts drift to the memory of what sleeping was like. I remember the feeling for the most part, but it's already growing fuzzy. Funny how easy it is to forget something you used to do every night.

"BELLAAAAAAAA!" The shrill voice of an angry Alice screeches.

I laugh.


	14. Understanding

Chapter 14: Understanding

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or its characters.**

I wake up from a peaceful sleep, actually looking forward to the day ahead. Or, the afternoon, at least. The idea of seeing Bella excites me, and makes me nervous. It's hard to believe that vampires are real. I have so many questions for her, like how much of the vampire stuff in movies is accurate? Can they really die from a stake to the heart? Do they sleep in coffins? What was her brother saying about being 'vegetarian'? How did she become a vampire? I have all of these questions and more, but I think it's best not to dwell on it until this afternoon. I get dressed, grab my stuff and head downstairs for breakfast.

I walk into the kitchen to find my mother sitting at the table, rubbing her temples, something she does when she has a headache.

"Hey mom, are you okay?"

She shakes her head.

"No. Head hurts. No breakfast today, you'll have to fend for yourself."

Damn, I'm actually quite hungry. But I can't cook…

"Oh well, I'll manage. You ready to go?"

She sighs, rubs her temples a few more times and stands up.

"No, but we should go anyway."

We pile into the car and head for school. When we arrive, I grab my bag and say goodbye to my mother. As soon as I exit the car, it starts to rain. Fantastic. I turn to head inside when I see Tyler standing in the middle of the parking lot with his arms outstretched, getting completely soaked, for no apparent reason.

I jog over to him.

"Hey Ty, what are you doing?"

He looks over at me and shrugs his shoulders.

"I don't know. I just like rain."

"Okay… you coming inside?"

"In a few minutes. Go ahead, don't get soaked on my account."

"Oh, um, okay… see you later."

I run to the main entrance, already regretting stopping to talk to Tyler. I don't like getting wet. Once inside, I drop off my very wet jacket at my locker and grab my stuff.

I feel a tap on my shoulder, and turn to find Gabby standing behind me.

"Hey triggerhappy."

"Hey frying pan."

We both laugh, remembering the incident from a few days prior.

"You look soaked," Gabby points out.

"Yeah well, I saw Tyler just standing in the middle of the parking lot, so I went to talk to him. What's up with that, anyway?"

Gabby shrugs her shoulders.

"He just really likes the rain. Plus, it hasn't rained much recently, so I'm sure it's an emotional reunion," she jokes.

I just shrug my shoulders. I personally don't see the appeal, but whatever works for him is fine by me.

The bell rings, signaling the time to get to class. Gabby and I go our separate ways, promising to talk later.

* * *

The rest of the school day is uneventful. I wasn't focused, preoccupied with meeting up with Bella later.

When the final bell rang, I practically sprinted to my mother's car, anxious to get home. By the time my mother finally emerged from the school, I was practically jumping up and down.

"What took you so long? Nevermind, let's just go."

My mother raises an eyebrow at me.

"Everything okay? Did something happen?"

I roll my eyes.

"No mom, nothing happened. Can we please just go, already?"

She puts her hands up in defense, then unlocks the car. I lunge inside. She gets in, gives me a worried look, then starts the car. We pull out onto the road.

"Are you sure you're okay, Annie?"

"Of course I am, why wouldn't I be?"

Because I'm about to encounter a vampire. I'm dancing with death over here. But telling her that probably wouldn't be very comforting. It would just get me shipped off to an asylum.

"You just seem very antsy."

"How so?"

She looks down at my leg. I follow her gaze, realizing that I've been subconsciously tapping my foot the whole time. I'm not very good at hiding my emotions, clearly.

"It's nothing, just hoping I did well on my history test." That's not a total lie. I _did_ have a history test today, I just don't care much for history.

"Really? A history test, of all things?" She asks incredulously.

I nod my head. She nods her head. I can tell she isn't buying it, but she lets it drop.

When we pull up the driveway, I restrain myself from running to the door. I casually walk inside, tell my mother that I've got a lot of work to do, and go upstairs.

I go to my room. As I open the door the strong scent of coconut and mango hits me like a freight train. I take a deep breath to steady myself, and step inside.

Bella is sitting on my bed, legs crossed, holding something… a book, one of my books. Normally that would bother me, since I don't like other people messing with my stuff. It doesn't now.

Bella looks up from the book. "Hey."

Looking into those golden eyes, I'm once again hypnotized by their beauty.

"Hey."

Bella looks back down at the book, mindlessly flipping the pages.

I take a moment to think about the questions I want to ask her, but I've already forgotten them.

Bella keeps flipping the pages, not looking at me. I want her to look at me.

I step towards Bella, gently taking the book from her hands. I toss it across the room, and sit down next to her on the bed. Bella finally looks at me, concern etched on her face.

"What's wrong, Bella?"

She stares at me silently, looking terribly sad. She reaches out, taking my hand in hers. I feel the coolness of her skin touching mine. We both observe our intertwined hands.

"I just wish you weren't afraid of me."

"I'm not."

Bella looks at me in confusion. I continue,

"I have a lot of concerns, and questions, but I'm not afraid of you. I was hoping you could fill me in, without me passing out this time."

She laughs, the sadness having disappeared from her eyes.

"Definitely," she says.

Okay. Hopefully my questions don't make me look like a complete idiot. I also don't want to start with the heavy stuff.

"Okay, so um… you've already shown me your strength and speed. Any other magic tricks?"

Bella quirks a grin.

"I can shield things with my mind."

What.

"What does that mean?"

Bella walks over to where I tossed the book she was looking at earlier. She picks it up and hands it to me.

"Throw it at me," she instructs me.

"Why would I throw a book at you?"

Bella rolls her eyes.

"Please just do what I say, okay?"

Fine. If she wants me to throw objects at her, then I'll throw objects at her.

"Fine, but you can't get mad when I hit you in the face."

Bella steps back, giving me a 'bring it on' motion.

I throw the book. In mid-air, the book somehow changes trajectories, crashing to the ground.

"What?..."

Bella chuckles, "Cool, huh?"

That was weird. Then again, what did I expect. I can see her ego inflating again. I should fix that.

"You're book proof, I've seen cooler," I say, knowing that it'll get a rise out of her.

Bella gapes at me. "Hey! It's not _just_ books!"

I roll my eyes, "Oh, sure. That's what they all say."

Bella sputters about how she can deflect more than just books, and how dare I suggest otherwise. I just laugh at her.

My eyes land on the book Bella deflected, laying on the floor. I pick it up, checking for any damage, like bent or ripped pages, a dent in the hardcover, stuff like that.

I feel a twinge of pain in my left pinky. I inspect the finger, seeing a small trail of blood running down my finger. Must be a paper cut. Yikes, it stings.

I put the book back in its place on the shelf and take a closer look at the paper cut. It's pretty small, some peroxide and a band-aid will do.

That's when I realize that the room is dead quiet. I look up at Bella, who is looking at something with an intensity I haven't seen before. Wait, she's looking at my finger.

Oh, oh no.

Bella puts a hand over her nose, trying not to smell the blood. Her eyes slowly change from the glittering gold I've come to know to black. She snarls viciously at me.

I feel my heartbeat pick up, which only seems to make it worse. I take a step back, preparing to run if she lunges. Not that I could outrun her. Shit.

Bella's gaze switches between my bloody finger and my face, which must looked completely terrified. She takes a few steps back, her eyes now focused on mine, not my blood.

"I… I can't… I need to hunt. Be back later," Bella croaks out, then she disappears out the window.

I feel my heartbeat slowing down to normal rhythm, my breathing becoming less and less heavy. Holy crap.

I run to the bathroom and clean out the cut on my pinky, taking care to wash away even the smallest traces of blood. Then I cover it up with a band-aid. Is that enough? Will this one tiny band-aid be able to mask the nearly microscopic injury that nearly cost me my life? I grab a second one, wrapping it over the first. Then a third, then a fourth.

Five band-aids and a layer of gauze later, I decide that the cut is acceptably covered. I go back to my room, growing more anxious with every step. I lay on my bed, staring at a spot on the ceiling.

I nearly died just now. I was almost murdered by a hungry, scary looking vampire. The gravity of the situation hits me like a freight train. How could I have been so stupid? The whole point of talking to Bella was supposed to be getting the answers to my questions. The important questions, not a magic show. I'm such an idiot.

* * *

I continue to stare at the ceiling. I'm not sure how long I've been lying here, chastising myself and planning what to say when Bella comes back. The only thing I'm sure of is that I want to see her again, self-preservation be damned.

I roll over onto my side. The clock on my nightstand reads 9:43 pm. Whoa, have I really been lying here for so long? Shouldn't Bella have come back? Is she still hunting? No, she must be finished by now.

I grab my cell from my pocket and dial Bella's number.

 _Ring. Ring. Ring._

Come on, pick up the phone.

 _Ring. Ring. Ring._

Pick up, damn it.

 _Ring. Ri-_

"Hello?" A familiar voice finally answers.

"Hey there, stranger."

Silence.

"I'm sorry," Bella says.

"I know. Come back over here. Please," I beg, hoping she won't fight me on it.

"No, I can't."

I sigh. Saw that one coming.

"Can't or won't? Look, I understand why you might be hesitant. What happened today was scary, I know. But this is why we need to talk about it."

"There's nothing to talk about. I'm dangerous. I barely had the resolve to get out of there. I could have killed you." Bella argued.

"I disagree with most of what you just said, but I don't want talk about this over the phone. Come over, now," I command.

A moment of silence.

"Bellaaaaa," I whine.

"Okay, okay. I'll be there in ten seconds."

I laugh, "I'll grab my stopwatch."

Bella hangs up.

Ten…

Nine…

Eight…

Seven…

Six…

Fi-

There's a knock on my window.

"Come in," I say.

"Hey," Bella says, somehow looking graceful while climbing through the window.

Her eyes are golden again, the sinister looking black from before is gone. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding in.

"Just so you know, it only took you five seconds. Come sit down," I pat the empty space next to me on the bed.

Bella smiles nervously, "Good to know. I'm fine over here, thanks."

A feeling of hurt comes over me, but I try to ignore it.

"Oh, okay. So, um, there's a few things that need to be cleared up. I guess we should start with the vegetarian thing. What does that mean?"

"It means that we don't hunt people. We hunt animals instead, deer most often. So technically it's not vegetarian, but we don't really have another word for it."

Bella doesn't hunt people. Neither do the rest of the Cullens. Okay, I guess that makes sense.

"Okay, so about what happened earlier…"

Bella winces, instantly making me feel awful for bringing it up, but it's still issue number one on my list, and it needs to be addressed. No more beating around the bush.

"I'm so sorry, Annie. I wasn't fully in control. The thing is, even though we don't hunt people, we still crave human blood. In my case it's easier because I've never had it, but it's still difficult. I should have been more careful, I should have gone hunting before coming to see you. When I saw you were bleeding, and the scent hit my nose, my instincts kicked in. I'm so sorry," Bella hangs her head in shame.

I lift myself off of the bed and tentatively walk towards her. I grab her by the shoulders, turning her to face me and make eye contact.

"I forgive you. I'm not going to lie, what happened earlier scared the shit out the me, but not enough to chase me away. I trust you," I explain, and in an act of boldness I pull her in for a hug.

At first Bella doesn't react, standing still as a statue. I realize that I may have made a mistake, but as I retract my arms Bella wraps hers around me, enveloping me in a cool, comforting embrace.

Bella's sweet smell becomes a lot stronger, making me feel happy, and a bit lightheaded.

"You smell good," I blurt out, before I can stop myself.

There's a pause. 'Way to go, weirdo,' I say to myself.

Then Bella laughs, "Thank you. You smell good too."

I feel my face heating up with embarrassment, and I hide my face in the crook of Bella's neck. The coolness of her skin actually helps cool down my cheeks.

"Come back up here," Bella says.

I lift my head from the crook of Bella's neck, and look into the eyes of the amazing person in front of me. Bella leans forward, until our foreheads are touching. I feel myself getting lost in her eyes, so much so that I don't hear her speaking to me, although I can see her lips moving.

"Annieee," Bella calls.

"Mhmm?"

"Did you hear what I said?"

I grin sheepishly. "Sorry, I was distracted."

"I can tell. So, do you have any more questions for me?"

Questions. Right. "Yeah, a bunch actually."

I pull out of the hug, dragging Bella by the arm to my bed, where we both sit down. As much as I like having physical contact with her, I need a bit of space to think clearly. I guess I can start going through the list of cliches about vampires.

"Okay, so are vampires really immortal?"

"Yes," Bella answers.

Woah, cool. I would ask how that's possible, but at this point I'm just rolling with the punches.

"Is it true that you have to be invited inside to go into someone's house?" I saw that in a movie once.

Bella chuckles, "No, but I suppose it's more polite to show up invited rather than uninvited, don't you think?"

"Do you get vaporized if you are in the sun?"

"No," Bella says. She opens her mouth to say something else, but doesn't.

"Do you sleep in coffins?"

Bella gives me a pointed look. "Did you see any coffins the day you came over? No, and no dungeons either, before you ask. In fact, we don't sleep."

"Never?"

"Never."

Huh. I'm learning lots today.

"What about the garlic thing?"

"No, garlic has no effect on vampires," Bella replies, looking about ready to roll her eyes.

"Don't you dare roll your eyes at me, Bella. The whole point of this discussion is to enlighten me on all things vampire. Never mock a student." I point out, making the saddest face I can.

It must have looked pretty sad, because Bella pulls me to her and wraps her arms around me again.

"I'm so sorry. You're right, it's not fair for me to be getting impatient. I'm a sucky teacher," Bella moans.

I just laugh, "No you're not, drama queen. That's pretty much all the questions I have for now, anyway."

Bella seems relieved that I'm fresh out of silly questions. I'll have to think of some more for later.

"Okay, then you should probably be going to sleep," Bella says sadly.

"Go to sleep? But it's only…"

I look at the clock. It reads 11:36 pm. How is that possible?

Bella chuckles, "I guess time really does fly when you're having fun."

"Does that mean that you're leaving?" I ask, cringing at how needy that sounded.

Bella smiles warmly at me. "No, not yet. I'm not exactly in a rush to get home, since Alice is still mad."

Alice? Oh, the hyper one I briefly spoke to on the phone.

"Why is Alice mad?"

Bella awkwardly rubs the back of her neck. "Well… let's just say my actions left an impression."

I lift an eyebrow at her, but choose not to press her for more information. For the sake of plausible deniability.

"I'm going to change, I'll be right back," I tell her, grabbing my pyjamas and going to the bathroom to change and brush my teeth.

* * *

When I return, Bella is sprawling across the bed, hugging one of my pillows.

"Should I be jealous?" I joke.

Bella practically jumps out of her skin, tossing the pillow back to its spot and hopping off the bed.

"Wh-um, no, I… I was just, uh, I don't," Bella stammers. I don't think I've ever seen her so flustered.

"I'm just kidding, Bella," I chuckle, and Bella sticks out her tongue in response.

"Oh, well that's mature," I roll my eyes.

I climb into bed, feeling way more tired the moment my head hits the pillow.

The bed dips slightly, and I turn over to find Bella lying there, watching me with an unreadable expression.

I yawn. Bella giggles, "Sleepy?"

"Only a little," I slur, my eyelids growing heavier already.

Bella smiles, "Okay, sleepyhead. I'll call you tomorrow, alright?"

I nod my head. Bella pulls the covers over me, and my eyelids become too heavy for me to fight my sleepiness.

I feel cool lips against my forehead, and I smile.

Then I drift off to sleep.


	15. Taking Steps

Chapter 15

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or its characters.**

I wake up in a haze, reluctant to leave behind my blissful dreams about a certain vampire. Although one of my dreams was actually a nightmare, one where what happened last night with the paper cut happened again, only Bella couldn't control herself this time. It took me a while to fall back asleep after that. Maybe I'm not as confident as I thought… What am I thinking? Bella would never let that happen. I'm not stupid, I know that there is always a risk, but I have faith in Bella. She proved herself to be in control last night, even if she didn't think so.

I sit up in bed. I look over to the empty space next to me, where Bella had been lying just hours before. If it weren't for sheets being slightly out of place and the window left open, I could swear it never happened. I breathe in, the now faint smell that I recognize as Bella's leaving me in a heady euphoria. Wow, the more I listen to my thoughts, the more I realize just how creepy I sound. Hopefully I won't blurt out any of the creepy things I think, since that would be fairly hard to explain.

My phone buzzes. I lunge towards it and answer without checking the number calling.

"Hey," I say, smiling to myself.

"About damn time!" A high pitched, shrill voice, different from the sultry voice I had expected, answers. Is that…

"Maddie?"

"Oh, so you _do_ remember Maddie, the best friend you've been ignoring since you moved?"

I feel a pang of guilt deep in my chest. I had been ignoring her, even if it wasn't on purpose. Then again, it's been an awfully eventful time.

"Come on, Maddie, that's not fair."

I hear Maddie sigh on the other end. "Look, I've been patient with you. I get that you need some time to settle in and all, but that doesn't mean you have to erase your past to make room for the new stuff. Besides, how can I complain when you haven't even contacted any of our friends. I can give you a refresher course if you want, since you seem to have forgotten all about them."

As Maddie lists the names of pretty much every person I've ever met, I toss my phone on the bed and go to get changed. If I've learned anything about Maddie, it's that once she starts something, she commits to it. Even something as childish and petty as guilt tripping me for not being on top of everything going on in a social circle hundreds of miles away. I moved to another country for fuck's sake, and she calls this cutting me some slack?

After throwing on a shirt, jeans and my most comfortable hoodie, I pick up the phone again. She had run out of people to name, and has moved on to the pets in our neighbourhood.

"-and what about Pickles? He has been absolutely crushed by your absence!"

I roll my eyes.

"And let's not forget Magenta-"

"Maddie."

"Or Teddy the toad-"

"Maddie."

"And don't even get me started on-"

" **MADDIE!"**

I only meant to make her stop talking long enough for me to get a word in, but that came out a lot more aggressively than I had expected. I already know why, though. My frustration with Maddie's impatience plus my disappointment that it wasn't Bella calling me add up to unreasonable anger that I don't have much control over. Besides, I only just woke up.

The other end of the line is silent. I sigh deeply. Alright, time to do some damage control.

"Maddie, I'm really sorry, I just-"

"Don't worry about, Annie." Her voice is calm, monotone - cold. Which means that I'm about to get a huge dose of the silent treatment.

"Maddie, come on, please don't -"

"I've gotta go. Soccer practice." Then she hung up.

Fantastic.

The frustration I was already feeling is getting more intense by the second, the pressure in my head building with it. I pace back and forth across my room, over and over. Stupid Maddie, making me feel like crap all the time. Stupid Bella, making me feel things I don't know how to deal with, and being all mystical and distracting. Stupid Teddy the toad.

I suddenly have an overwhelming urge to kick something.

The only thing around is the shirt I slept in last night, which I'd dumped on the floor. Whatever, it'll do. I angrily swing my foot. My other foot slips out from under me, and just like that I crash to the floor with a resounding slam. Oww.

Instead of getting back up right away, I just stay on the floor, thinking about everything, and nothing, the anger and frustration from a few seconds ago ebbing away.

"Annie? Are you alright?"

I look over to my mother, standing in the doorway to my room, looking very concerned.

I should probably get off the floor now.

"Yeah, I'm okay," I say, awkwardly sitting up, "just being my klutzy self," I shoot her a smile that I know doesn't quite reach my eyes. She isn't convinced.

"Are you hurt?" She steps forward and reaches a hand out, which I grab to pull myself up. She begins fussing over my disheveled clothing, smoothing out wrinkles that aren't there. I shoo her hands away.

"I'm fine mom, really. It's nothing!" I try to tell her, but the worry in her eyes doesn't subside at all.

"You know what, I think you need to take the day off, okay kiddo?"

I almost gasp out loud. Not once in my entire life has my mother suggested that I stay home from school, not even when I was legitimately sick. I once vomited twice in the same morning, and she _still_ wouldn't let me stay home. The school nurse ended up sending me back home anyway, but still. I must be in The Matrix.

"No, mom, I can go. Look, if I wasn't okay, would I be able to do this?"

I attempt to do that tree pose that people do in yoga, where you stand on one foot and hold your hands together. After three seconds I lose my balance and faceplant onto my bed.

Well, at least I didn't hurt anything… except my pride.

My mother watches my pathetic attempt at yoga with an exasperated look on her face. Apparently faceplanting after attempting one of the most basic yoga poses wasn't enough to convince her.

"You're staying home."

I figured. Besides, why fight it? A day off from school would be nice.

"Alright, I'll stay."

"Good. There's some leftover chinese in the fridge, or there's Kraft Dinner if you're feeling motivated to cook."

"Pff, more like Crap Dinner. Is making it even considered cooking?"

Wait, did I really just say that? What am I talking about?

My mother stares at me. "How hard did you hit your head?"

"Hard."

"Okay, well if you're still not feeling like yourself when I get back we'll go over to the hospital. You could be concussed. Alright, I've gotta go. Bye kiddo."

"Bye mom."

She gives me a hug, then goes downstairs.

I flop back onto my bed, hearing the front door open and close, the car pulling out of the driveway and onto the road.

A lightbulb goes off in my brain. I'm not going to school today, which means no one would notice if I went out, or had someone come over…

I grab my phone and dial Bella's number.

 _Ri_ -"Hello?"

"Guess what?"

"Uh… I don't know, what?"

"I have the day off."

The line goes quiet.

"Did you hear what I said? Hey, you still there? Bella? Where'd you-"

I hear a knock at my window.

"-go. Oh."

Bella slides the window open and enters my room, graceful and magnificent as ever. Bella's eyes are a bright gold this morning, which probably means that she went hunting recently. The moment we lock eyes I feel warmth spreading through my body. A sense of calm envelopes me, yet at the same time I feel an intense excitement. The conflicting feelings are so confusing, they're an unexpected combination. It's like when a raincloud passes on a sunny day. It feels weird, but not necessarily bad.

The room itself is darker now. I look back over to the window. It's closed now, with the blinds drawn. Why close the blinds on such a nice morning?

"- in there?"

Bella is right in front of me now. I didn't even see her move.

"Huh?"

Her laughter fills the room, creating a palpable sense of contentment. It's the kind of laugh that turns heads in the direction it came from, looking for the source of the sound. It beckons you to follow it, like sirens calling to sailors on the sea. It's pointless to try to fight the temptation, the need to experience being in this person's presence is too strong. I can only hope that, unlike the poor sailors, I'm not being lured to my doom.

Weird, why are my thoughts becoming so… poetic? Then again, it's been a weird morning. Who am I kidding, it's been weird since I moved.

Cool fingers lightly graze the skin of my hand, bringing me back to the present, back to the strangely beautiful being sitting across from me, looking rather worried.

"Annie, are you okay?" Bella's shimmering eyes capture every movement I make, looking for anything out of the ordinary.

"Why did you close the blinds?" Apparently I'm fixated on that now.

My question only seems to worry Bella more, her eyebrows creasing together in confusion.

"The blinds? No, Annie, forget about the blinds. Are you alright? What's got you so distracted?" Bella brings the back of her hand up to my forehead. The casual contact brings a rush of excitement, causing me to forget myself.

"You." The moment the word leaves my lips, my cheeks begin to burn from embarrassment. It may be true, but I would like to avoid sending Bella running for the hills to get away from her weird stalker.

Bella's shocked expression only confirms that my answer was definitely unexpected. I cringe, waiting for her to pull away from me, to run away, to laugh, to do something. Instead she just sits there staring at me for a long time. I feel worry building up inside of me.

"Bella, are you okay?" We had somehow swapped places apparently.

"Can I show you something?" Bella blurts out, catching me off guard.

"Uh, yeah sure, what?"

"Well, it's a surprise, so I can't tell you. And I can't show you right now, at least, not here." Bella pulls at the sleeves of her sweater nervously.

"Okay… so, where can you show me?"

Bella locks eyes with me again. "I'll make a deal with you. I'll show you, but only if you promise me that you'll keep your eyes shut until we get there."

Hmm, this is getting more intriguing by the second. "Okay, I promise."

"Okay, let's go." Bella rises from the chair she'd been sitting in, takes hold of my hand and leads me downstairs.

At the door she turns to look at me. "You've got to close your eyes now."

I sigh, then do as I'm asked.

Bella pulls me forward, stepping outside into the front yard. I feel the warmth of the sun on my face. A sunny day is hard to come by around here, so hopefully I'll be able to open my eyes and enjoy the sun before it disappears again, hidden by clouds and rain.

Bella keeps pulling me along, while I take very small steps to avoid tripping over something, or crashing into something. Not that I don't trust Bella, I just don't trust myself.

The crunching sounds under my feet alert me to the fact that we're walking into the woods now. I can't help but wonder what she could possibly have to show me in the woods. Then again, I found Bella in the woods.

As we continue to walk, I breathe in deeply, absorbing the forest around me. The smell of the woods mixes with the smell I have learned to associate with Bella, coconut and mango. It makes for a strange mix, but it works for me.

My foot gets caught on a tree root, launching me forward towards the ground. Just before making contact with it, strong, cool arms grab hold of me, bringing me back to my feet. I distinctly hear a suppressed snort of laughter.

"Hey, don't laugh! I'm clumsy enough when I can see where I'm going, and I'm blind at the moment. Honestly I can't believe it took so long for me to make a fool of myself!"

My response only makes her laugh harder. Suddenly she brings my hand up, a tingling sensation coming over me as she brushes her lips against my knuckles. The action takes me by surprise, making me jump a little. I expect her to comment on it, but she doesn't, instead tugging on my arm to signal that we're walking again.

After a while the urge to open my eyes becomes difficult to resist. I want to be able to see where I'm going and, more importantly, be able to see Bella.

"Are we there yet?"

"Nope."

"What about now?"

"Nope."

"What about _now_?"

"Nope."

"What about-"

"Annie, just a bit further, okay? There's no rush to get there." Bella sounds anxious, but over what I couldn't say.

A few minutes later Bella releases my hand.

"Okay… I guess you can open your eyes now."

Not the most enthusiastic invitation, but I've been itching to open my eyes for a while now, so I open them… and the scene before me is purely magical.

We're standing on a cliff, overlooking the water. The sun is reflecting light across the water, casting shades of red, yellow and orange like flames, making the water seem as though it were ablaze. Bella stands at the edge, looking out at the water, and... she's glittering. Literally glittering. The light touching her skin creates a sparkling effect, as if her skin were made up of billions of miniscule diamonds, each one reflecting the morning light. I don't try to stop myself from gasping in shock, in surprise, in wonder. I feel all of these things, but the most intense of them is awe. I step forward, the brilliant shine of the billions of stars dancing across Bella's skin drawing me closer, until I'm close enough to touch them.

"Bella, how is this possible?"

Bella slowly turns towards me, until we're face to face, hers shimmering from the sun's rays caressing her features. Looking into her eyes, I see a flurry of mixed emotions crossing her mind. Some moments I see excitement, others I see fear, but at the forefront I see uncertainty. Without thinking, I bring my hands up to her face, gently tracing her features, admiring the magnificent display before me.

"I don't know how, none of us do. Just a random side effect, I suppose."

The nonchalance with which Bella describes the phenomenon causes me to laugh.

"Side effect? No, what I see is a gift from the heavens." A strange thing to say, but Bella could only be described in this moment as… angelic. Of course, I thought so even before this moment. A stray strand of hair falls into her face, and I take the opportunity to touch her once again, tucking it behind her ear.

I lean in slowly, giving Bella room to pull away, but to my relief and excitement, she leans in towards me. After what feels to me like an eternity, we make contact. Lips brush against lips, and suddenly my body is on fire, my desire burning through me to my core. I had felt elated when I first kissed Bella, I had marveled at her strength and the unanticipated softness of her touch, but this time was different. Now I know, at least partly, who Bella is, and why I'm so undeniably attracted to this goddess of a woman, superhuman in every way. I can't understand why such an outstanding person would give me a second glance, but I don't dare spoil the moment to ask. Her touch on my skin is cool, yet I feel heat rising within me, the surface of my skin burning with excitement at every touch. It's a sensation I've never experienced in my life, a sensation I had never imagined possible. The sheer intensity of what Bella makes me feel is incredibly strange, especially since I've only known Bella for a few weeks.

I feel like everything is moving too fast for me to process, but something inside me hungers for things to happen even faster, to drag me down deeper. Because the truth is I'm falling, I know that now, as I revel in Bella's touch, I'm falling fast. So much that it scares me.

A cold hand wraps around my neck, pulling me away from Bella's embrace, throwing me to the ground. A booming roar assaults my ears, loud enough to shake the forest with its power. Then the hand grabs hold of me again, and suddenly, briefly, I'm flying.

My back hits a tree, knocking the wind out of me and sending me sprawling to the ground. I'm grabbed roughly by my hair, coming face to face with golden eyes. Only these eyes don't belong to an angel, these eyes are angry. These are the eyes of the creature who lurks at my window at night, with an artful mess of copper hair and a sinister grin to go with them. This is not Bella, this person is no friend to me. This is… Edward.

Oh shit.

 **A/N: So… I haven't updated this in over a year… oops. To anyone who is invested in this I'm sorry. Life happened. Anyway, I'm back, so I'll be posting updates on a semi regular basis. Don't forget to read and review!**


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